The Story From Sunagakure
by Artemis615
Summary: The Council wants Gaara to find himself a wife, or they'll arrange for Gaara to have one of their daughters as his wife. All of this brings him back forgotten memories and a promise. GaaraxOC Gaaraoc Gaaoc. COMPLETELY REVISED!
1. Ipaasha

**A/N: Hello everyone! I have some bad news and some good news. I'm reviewing my entire story and have decided to change the beginning of the story. Somehow, I find them a little...well, suffice to say that I'm not satisfied with how everything started between Gaa-sama and Kaguya. I've retained the early early EARLY sentences, but changes everything else.  
I hope everyone would like it just like how I like the changes. Enjoy~  
**

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**Chapter 1:**

**Ipaasha**

**Explanation: In this story, Gaara is the Kazekage of the Land of Wind. It has already passed the part where Chiyo revived him back from the death, but he still retained his One-Tailed Beast sealed in him. He is currently 16 years old.**

To begin the story, the skies are blue and the winds are gentle. It was a nice weather in Suna. Temari, the eldest of the Suna Siblings, turned on the speaker, amplifying her current favorite song, Colors by Kaguya. The hypnotizing lovely voice of the singer accompanies the Suna Siblings everyday on their breakfast, lunch and dinner.

That is, if Temari is not sent out by Gaara to Konoha as Suna's Ambassador.

The day before today, Kankurou had, in fact, mumbled aloud that Temari's cooking tasted more and more like sand, and not to mention he was mumbling while munching on his food. Gaara had compared his looks akin to that of a munching desert camel. Gaara nodded his head unconsciously to the stack of paperwork he held in his hand while carrying on having his breakfast, his eyes fixated entirely upon the paper's content.

One might be wondering why on earth Temari herself would fix breakfast for her brothers instead of the many servants in the Kazekage's manor. The truth is that one day, out of the blue, Temari had decided to practice her cooking skills and declared that breakfast would be her sole duty in the house while the rest of the meals are done by a skilled chef who could cook almost anything. None of the siblings protested.

Until today.

Most of the time, Kankurou would mumbled something incomprehensible to any ears but Gaara's, but unfortunately for Kankurou, Temari had heard what he just said and came over to him, all the while beaming at her brother. Snatching away his half-eaten breakfast, Temari said in a toneless voice, "Then start preparing your own breakfast, young man."

Bewildered, Kankurou tried to get his luncheon stuffed sandwich back by utilizing his skills as a puppeteer, sending an almost invisible string of chakra towards the plate of sandwich, but was caught pathetically by his sister, smirking widely.

"Don't try me young man. You think I wouldn't know your stinkin' old tricks up your sleeves after living my whole 19 years of life with you?" barked Temari, her fingers immediately went towards him and pulled at his ear, which he reacted by moving his head as close to Temari's hand as possible to avoid more pain.

According to Kankurou, Temari's pinching skills are more fearsome and almost 10 times more painful than getting stabbed by a kunai.

"Ouch! Now! Ow! Nee-chan! Stop it!" pleaded Kankurou pitifully, standing up and moved closer to Temari while she moved her hand as far as she could, enjoying the pained looks on her brother's painted face.

"Missing your breakfast?" said the Fan Wielder seductively with a grin, dangling the sandwiches in front of Kankurou's nose and dropped it onto the floor with a loud smashing sound, sending pieces of bread and lettuces everywhere except on Gaara's and Temari's clothes.

"Opsie!" said Temari, feigning her innocent with her hand on her mouth. "I dropped it. Now," Temari continued, her smiling face slowly morphed into one of those that even the highest authority of the council members will think twice before snapping at her. "Get. Your. Own. BREAKFAST!" screeched Temari.

Snapping Kankurou's ear back into place with a loud 'snap', Temari watched in delight as the puppeteer basically scrambled onto his feet and muttered a quick farewell to Gaara and the swarm of tarantulas by the door in a large glass tank.

It had been 3 years since the Konoha invasions. Gaara had changed tremendously after a talk with Naruto, while Kankurou maintained his bad boy personality, much to Temari's dismay. Still, the fact that he would stuck up to Gaara whenever he heard unpleasant words about Gaara behind his back would never fail to bring a smile to her face. The Suna Siblings have grown to acknowledge Gaara as their blood brother, and would willingly go as far as to pick a fight with those who had talked bad about their little brother.

Temari, on the other hand, had recently become obsessed in listening to a particular singer's songs. Gaara had once tried to be nice and commented that the singer's voice was pretty nice in the hope of getting closer to his siblings as a family, and the next thing he knew Temari had started to blab and blab and blab nonstop about the biography of the mysterious Kaguya, or so she was known as. The one noticeable thing is that Temari had become much closer to Gaara than Kankurou; She finds the notion that Gaara had slowly learned how to smile delightful, despite it being just a twitch on the mouth, while Kankurou had turned into her new torture pet brother, picking a fight with him every single day, no matter where and what time it is.

Gaara finishes his breakfast and downed the cup of coffee in one gulp. Once he finished strapping his sand gourd to his back, he headed for the door with his Kazekage's hat when Temari surprises him by stopping him.

"I'll go with you today," Temari offered, grabbing her heavy iron fan and strapping it to her back. Since the change 3 years ago, Gaara had started talking to them in a less threatening tone. Instead, he actually conversed with them like any normal siblings would. Though, he still preferred to be a silent bystander while watching his two elder siblings' biker among themselves, smiling occasionally at their silly remarks against each other, taking note to do so without Temari noticing since she had started the habit of taking a picture of Gaara whenever he did smile. He liked the bickering, but he didn't like the picture sessions.

As Gaara transport them with his sand jutsu to the Kazekage's Tower, Temari noted a light commotion down below in one particular street. Realizing what it was, she called Gaara and said a quick word to him before jumping down from the cloud of sand.

"I'm going to get those," she had shouted. "See you later at the Tower!"

Giving a slight nod, Gaara watchs from the side of his eye as Temari jumped down from his sand cloud. Sighing in defeat, Gaara continued his way to the Tower, closing his eyes while trying to block out the screaming fan girls down below.

After becoming Kazekage, instead of gaining many enemies, Gaara had somehow accumulated a great number of fan girls in his village, starting with his only deciple, Matsuri. He almost cringed when he heard a girl screamed her lungs out with a, "I LOVE YOU, GAARA-SAMA! KYAAA!" He was amazed with their determination to get him to know that they love him, going as far as to chase him every day, to and fro the Kazekage's Tower. He didn't like it at all.

Then he passed by it again, the Miyagusuku Manor. His daily journey from the Kazekage's Manor to the Kazekage's Tower would inevitably bring him to pass by their manor. He had a memory from his past that he used to come by this place every night, listening to a pretty young girl singing a hauntingly beautiful song. He never managed to remember that particular song since he had vowed to leave his past behind him and move forward, since remembering that song would mean the recollection of his awful past life as a heartless monster.

Then again, in spite of what he had thought about leaving the past behind him, he couldn't help but to be attracted to this manor. There was this peculiar smell, a sort that is akin to a sweet, lily-like fragrance. He had never been captivated to a scent before, as he viewed this as a kind of weakness. As such, he never stopped by the manor.

However, he did conduct a small research on the Miyagusuku clan.

The Village Hidden in the Sand is constantly 'hidden' in sand filled wind. Only at night does it stop blowing. From the results of what he had searched in the great Kazekage's archive, the Miyagusuku clan is a clan practicing Apothecary and Kabuki arts, and in such, they are extremely affluent in Suna. They, too, had a special antidote that could also be used as a perfume fragrance, something called an 'Ipaasha', which requires great care and constant watering to survive. In Suna, indoor gardens, or as they named them as Desert Greenhouses, are rare. It requires one to care for it greatly and an extreme sum of gold to maintain and keep the plants alive in the dry desert, as they cannot stand the heavy winds blowing constantly. As such, Desert Greenhouses are only owned by capable people such as the Miyagusuku clan and the Kazekage.

But that particular day, Gaara decided to stop by for once to quench his curiosity.

Landing upon the Miyagusuku Manor's rooftop, he looked around and found his attention directed towards the interior of the garden, which is actually the rooftop of the Desert Greenhouse. From where he stood, he finds a single person looking into a piece of crafted hand mirror by the sides of the small greenhouse, where a dark wooden bench is placed. The hand mirror's reflected light bounces off the ground and the walls, while the person smiled at the sight of a small creature chasing the light to wherever it is reflected to.

It was a young lady, with long dark hair piled up on top of her head with a silver ornament. The rest of her hair flowed to her back, kept in place with a black ribbon that goes with two silver bells at the end of the tie. Her skin is as pale as his, and he finds himself captivated for once.

**So, the Kazekage started to snoop around a girl's greenhouse, eh? Such scandal!**

_Shut up._

**My, my. Gaara-sama, can't you be more gentle towards me and let me out sometimes? **

_If I be gentle to you and let you out, you would turn on my back and attack the people._

**How could you! I, Ichibi no Shukaku, never break promises that I've made.**

_Because you never intended to keep one._

**...**

Gaara 107, Shukaku 58

Just as he was smirking over his 107th triumph against Shukaku's mind talk, the small creature suddenly stops chasing the light and looked up. Noticing a strange figure standing atop the transparent roofing of the Desert Greenhouse, the creature stood on its hind legs and started to yap up at Gaara, drawing the young lady's attention. Looking up, Gaara's eyes met with hers and immediately, past memories surged through his mind.

The young lady has big shiny dark eyes. She looked up at him innocently, and upon realizing who he was, her eyes widens in revelation. Slowly, her lips formed a soft smile, her hand raised to wave at him, mouthing the word, "Kazekage-sama."

Everything about her reminded her of someone in the past; her eyes, her smile, her face. He knew that face, and yet he couldn't place her properly as to where he had seen this face before. He raked his mind in search for the memories he had intended to lock away, and yet, the way the girl had smiled at him in such a fearless, willing sweet smile stunned his mind momentarily.

This is where Shukaku came in and interrupted his thoughts.

**Oho! **The tailed beast hooted. **She smiled at you. And isn't she pretty?**

_Smiled..._

**Come on boy, didn't anyone smiled to you before?**

_Yes, but...never in that way..._

**In what way?**

_It's so…fearless…willing, even…apart from my siblings, no one had dared to smile at me that way…_

**Well, everything must have their firsts. Don't you want to return her smile?**

_... I don't smile._

**Ha! Liar! You smiled when your siblings bikered stupidly against each other! I saw that…haha! You sure are a tough nut to crack.**

_You're so strange after Chiyo brought me back. You sure you're Ichibi?_

**... That sounds so stupid, so drop it. Come on! Smile back at her! Where is your manner, boy!**

_I never know how to smile. _

The tailed beast sighed dramatically.** It doesn't just because your name is 'Gaara' you have to love yourself only right? Then if that is the reason, then why do you become a Kazekage?**

_Because Naruto taught me about sharing... And I want to protect this village, even after what they have done to me._

**...**

Gaara 108, Shukaku 58.

While he was smirking silently over the victory against Shukaku, the girl had run up to the rooftop of her manor, exactly where Gaara stood over. But while he had a mind talk with his tailed beast, Gaara had walked to the edge of the rooftop and summoned his cloud of sand, preparing to leave for work. He barely stops himself in time when the girl slammed the door to the rooftop open, panting slightly from the run. It was then Gaara felt as if time had stopped.

The girl wears a white silk robe hanging loosely around her shoulder, tied together tightly with a sewn-on nature-patterned obi with a blue undershirt. According to the hoot he had heard from Shukaku from within his mind, the girl is a stunning piece of work.

Light blue orbs met dark green eyes. Shock painted across the lady's features, as if she couldn't believe that the Kazekage had actually stopped by her Desert Greenhouse's rooftop.

Then there's the small colorful pouch with a chestnut-sized bell hanging on her right wrist, bound to it with a thin silk red thread. For some reasons, Gaara felt in his being that Shukaku was drawn toward it, but make no remarks about it.

**My, **the tailed beast started.** Wasn't she a beautiful piece of work? **

_Shut up._

**Strange…there's something about her…**

_What is it?_

**She's so…strong. **

_Shut up. _

**How cruel... I still prefer you to call me 'Mother' than 'Shut up'.**

_Didn't I just tell you to shut up? Or was it you can no longer understand human language?_

**Excuse me, but I was created by human's thoughts. **

_Good for you then._

Just as he was going to count his 109th victory, the wind picked up its pace and the bell attached onto the small pouch ranged delicately.

As soon as the bell sounded its faint ring, Shukaku immediately fell silent. Normally, Gaara would have sighed in relief with the beast's silence, but he couldn't help but feel strange when Shukaku had chattered on and on about how ungrateful Gaara is when the beast just suddenly went into quiet mode in mid-sentence.

Strangely, the girl, too, have somehow realized Gaara's inner confusion, for she lifted up her arm and glanced at her little pouch dangling on her wrist, then at Gaara, then back at her pouch again.

The wind kept blowing softly, ruffling Gaara's hair fondly, while his robes lifted gently in the wind, revealing the blue yukata that he wears underneath the white cloak that signifies the position he is holding in Sunagakure.

Just as she opened her mouth to say something, the door towards the rooftop suddenly bursts open. A group of ladies-in-waiting tumbled out of the small door, looking very much ruffled as if they've searched high and low for someone. When their eyes landed upon the little lady, all of them sighed in chorus and bowed low to her.

"Kaguya-hime," they all said in unision. One particular maid stepped forward and bowed once again. "We apologize for interrupting your highness, but there is a situation at the garden that requires your immediate attention."

Kaguya's facial expression immediately turned serious. "Which garden?"

"The Ipaasha Garden, your highness," said the head of ladies-in-waiting, her head bowing low at Kaguya.

"Very well," Kaguya said gravely. "I will be there shortly. You are dismissed."

With another low bow, the ladies-in-waiting shuffled back to the door and disappeared.

Turning her attention back to Gaara, Kaguya said to him out of the blue, her words confusing and remained in his mind long after he had left the Miyagusuku Manor.

"Nice to meet you again, Gaara-sama," she had said to him that morning, her familiar eyes staring at his, as if she knew him before. Eyes blinking in confusion, Gaara stares at Kaguya. Realization came before her eyes when Gaara doesn't show signs that he remembers her, and her smile faltered.

"But it looks like you have forgotten me…" she said sadly, smiling a small sad smile. "But I'm glad you're no longer alone in this world."

One of his ANBU guards had appeared out of nowhere to inform him of the arrival of the councils. He had left without saying another word. Somehow, a strange feeling settled upon him when he did that. It was akin to the feeling of remorse.


	2. The Council

**Chapter 2:**

**The Council**

Even after long arrived at the Kazekage's Tower, Gaara's thoughts continued to drift back towards the last conversation he had with the lady named Kaguya.

**No. **The tailed beast joined in his thoughts.** That couldn't be called a conversation. You barely spoke to her!**

There was never once a human who, after seeing his signature flaming red hair and light blue eyes, wouldn't drop to their knees and cower before him in fear. Sabaku no Gaara, who once lead the Sand Siblings with stern authority and cold icy threats, was once a formidable tyrant. Now a Kazekage with power over the village, which he can chose to destroy or to protect, he had turned over a new leaf and still, till this day, people would cowers before him in terror.

Then he thought of her eyes; they were of such a rare and strange color that he couldn't help but to wonder what color they were. It was dark, with such intensity within them that for a moment, he is stunned with what he saw in there. There was no fear, and she certainly wasn't cowering in front of him or, Lord help him, try to flirt with him with his extremely godly-beautiful looks. Instead, there was this familiar look that he would get if he was tired or angry from both Temari and Kankurou. A look of worry and of sadness, all coming from a girl he had never met before. He somehow liked that look; it made him feel alive and wanted.

His eyes drifted towards the round windows lining the walls of the Kazekage's Tower's corridors. The Kazekage's Tower is the place where his office is located, and being the highest building ever built in Suna, the Tower stood tall and proud in the heart of the village, overlooking the entire rural community hidden within the desert. It is a place and village that he once swore to protect at all cost, no matter what the price is. Then his eyes caught the Miyagusuku Manor again. It was the second tallest building in Suna, standing on par with the Kazekage's Manor. He liked that scent he smelled from that manor – Ipaasha – and he made a mental note to get it himself.

_Nice to meet you again, Gaara-sama._

Her voice rang in his mind. Recalling the strange small pouch hanging on her wrist that had send Shukaku into a silent mode, the tailed beast interrupted his thoughts once again with his ideas.

**That pouch is a charm**, Shukaku had said in an almost gleeful tone. Gaara could imagine Shukaku hopping from one foot to another as he continued. **It was made to protect the jinchuuruki's consciousness, sending its beast to sleep. I've seen that one before, but the skills required to make that kind of charm is thought to be long lost. Only a Kekkei Genkai user could do that. **

Then that would mean…

**She's a jinchuuruki herself! Haha! You and I got ourselves a friend! Good job, boy!**

Gaara ignored Shukaku's cheerful victory and continued to ponder to himself. If what Shukaku had said is true, then this would truly mean that Kaguya herself is a jinchuuruki?

"Kazekage-sama, the meeting will start soon..." a guard came and announces the arrival of the council, interrupting Gaara's chain of thoughts. Signing, Gaara continued to walk through the long corridors and gave a short answer to the guard.

**-In the sacred meeting hall-**

The sacred meeting hall has been a place with great positive energy since the time when it was first built. Rumors had mentioned of the calming charms built and buried deep within the walls of the large chamber, which have stopped many arguments from becoming too deep and dangerous. Here, weapons of all sorts are not allowed, as the hall is only opened when the Kazekage is present.

12 tall stone chairs adorned a huge round table in the middle of the spacious hall, creating echoes when one converse and present their ideas. Facing the audiences, right behind the Kazekage's seat is the 4 great statues of the previous Kazekages. They have yet to carve a fifth one to join the Kazekage's statues, but the project in building Gaara's Kazekage's statue is undergoing smoothly.

Most of the council members are from the older generation of the nobilities that refuses to retire, saying that they are willing to serve Sunagakure and the Kazekage till death came and knock upon their door. But to Gaara, they're unwillingness only serves to fuel his burning rage and annoyance, as they are the ones who had continuously pressured his deceased father to dispose off his youngest son back when he was still a murderous killer, reason being that he is becoming unstable and dangerous to Suna. Until now, they continued to think that Gaara remains the unstable host he was 3 ywars ago, and if not kept watched at all times; he will soon unleash a disaster upon the village.

Gaara almost chuckled when he thought about his knuckleheaded friend, Naruto. That big moron of Konoha, as he called Naruto, actually succeeded in knocking some sense into him when they fought, and secretly, he was grateful to him as the villagers of Sunagakure no longer fears him and sees him as the cold bloodless monster, but respected him as their Kazekage. He was glad that he was there to protect their village as a Kazekage when the Akatsuki came and capture him, almost destroying Suna with their bomb.

The council members all came from branches of noble families. The old rules have stated clearly that only nobles and aristocrates are allowed to be one of the council members. Not that the people in Sunagakure is poor, but the nobles are among the riches in the village, owning and have a huge family, while others stands and comes from a small family. The strangest being that the Head of the Councilmembers, a seat specially reserved for the Head of the Miyagusuku clan, is currently empty. They had explained to him that the young head of that particular clan is still young and have yet to come of age.

"Kazekage-sama," again, his thoughts is interrupted when a councilmember stood up and pushed another pile of files towards him. "Have you perhaps considered about the proposal we've given to you yesterday? We would like a reply from your eminence as soon as possible," said one of the council members, who are old and wrinkly and full of stupid and useless ideas. Gaara despises him the most, and wondered brieftly how he had managed to secure a councilmember title.

Gaara's cold gaze directed towards him and he replied in a toneless voice, "I have tons of paperwork to do and all you bother about is a proposal? We're supposed to be discussing about the Chuunin Exam coming up soon."

"But, Kazekage-sama," started another council member, named Yuura. He's one of the youngest council members in Sunagakure, being made into one two years ago, but he was 31 when he succeeded the council seats. Continuing in his confident tone, he explained, "Don't you think it was time for you to find a bride, Kazekage-sama?"

Lips thinning into a line, Gaara replied simply, "I don't need a bride."

Instantly, protests uproared from Gaara's fellow council members. Apparently, they wanted him to marry one of their daughters, which, he hated to say it, fears him greatly. True, his position requires him to have a wife, but he wanted someone who does not fear him; someone strong and brave enough to not bawl in tears but silently allows him to go for war if the need arises. Those files provided by the councilmen contained all the profiles of all the eligible ladies and girls in Suna. He knew that everything the councilmen have provided is all heavily edited in some ways. Everyone in the files are all strong, beautiful, tall, intelligent, skilled kunoichi, kekkei genkai users, rich, and everything that sounded absolutely and replicated. All the councilmen wanted was for him to provide the village with a strong heir, as the Kage's position in Suna is inherited from father to son.

"Kazekage-sama, we have many suitable candidates for that position. In case you want to meet up with them, we will arrange a meeting someday between Kazekage-sama yourself and the ladies. We can assure you that they are exceptionally beautiful and will be able to fulfill the duty of a Kazekage's wife. Take one for an example, my daughter, Yuriko, excels greatly in poetry and arts..."

"Kazekage-sama, my daughter, Minako, is far more beautiful than any candidates. Please consider about it, Kazekage-sama..."

"Silence," Gaara exclaimed, standing up from his seat as he furiously glared at all the council members, who piped down almost immediately upon hearing Gaara's bark of anger.

Baki was keeping himself quiet for some reasons, and no doubt that he thought that Gaara has reached the age of finding himself a baby-making machine, who will bear his heirs incase he falls in war. But in his opinion, he thought that Gaara should find one for himself, and not to have his future-bride presented and arranged by someone else. That someone who is to become Gaara's bride should be able to accept everything about him, including his infamous sealed demon, Shukaku the One-tailed Beast that formerly thirst for blood every full moon.

"The meeting for now is suspended and will be resumed when I requested for the council's presence," Gaara announces coldly, already getting out of his seat and prepared to walk away, passing several stupid-looking old elders who gaped at him. He despises their very presence in the sacred hall, but he cannot do anything about it in case he wanted his people to suffer, which he had swore to protect with his life. His village is now connected to him soul to soul, and he will care for it until the day he stopped breathing.

Stepping out of the council room, Gaara takes a detour out of the Kazekage's Tower and headed towards the village to make his regular morning rounds, making sure that the village is peaceful and nothing dangerous is coming up.

His mind went back to the councilmen. Chuunin Exam is coming up soon. The exam is the one and only time when all of the other country's ninja is allowed to come and go freely with a paper signed by their respective leader of the village. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the Chuunin Exam is a perfect timing to raise the economic level of the village, that time also happens to be the perfect timing for other countries to gain an entrance to the village and silently launches an attack, stealing jutsu scrolls and killing great shinobi. Gaara sighed to himself in defeat. All the Council worries about is his future bride.

As he trudged forward, someone short and small bounced onto him, nearly landing on their bum have he not uses his sand jutsu in time to reduce the impact. Managing a terrified squeak, the little boy who had accidentally bounced into him babbled quickly, "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, Kazekage-sama! I was running and I didn't see you there and I walked right into you! I'm sorry! I'm terribly sorry! So sorr-"

Gaara cut into his babbling sentences by patting his head, just like how he had seen others patting the kids head when he passed by the market everyday, albeit a bit awkwardly. He was amazed how a kid's head can be so small, which barely covered his whole palm. He couldn't imagine himself back as a kid with a small head.

"It's alright," Gaara assured the boy, trying to smile but only managed a slight twitch of his mouth here and there. "You didn't mean it, I get it."

Staring up at him with wide innocent eyes, the little boy grinned widely and exclaimed loudly, "Thank You Kazekage-sama!"

Spontaneously, everyone's head in the market square shoot up and focused on Gaara, silence settled over them like a dark cloud of veil.

**You can't be serious.**

_What?_

**What? I mean look at them gaping at you! That clearly states that they STILL afraid of you.**

_SOME of them. And YOU are what they afraid._

**Yeah, yeah. Whatever. But to SOME of them, YOU are what they afraid.**

_... _

**Finally!**

Gaara 109, Shukaku 59.


	3. Sakura Drops

**Chapter 3:**

"**Sakura Drops"**

The setting sun had started to color the world in a mixture of orange, purple and pink when Gaara came back home, and as soon as he arrived he went straight to the kitchen, where Temari always spends her time here trying to bake a decent cake to be given a certain genius that currently resides in Konoha. Gaara surreptitiously hoped not another chocolate flavored burnt cake. If there was, Temari always catch Kankurou as an experiment and forced the burnt cake down his throat, which in turn sparks on Kankurou's hidden wrath and the two will have an intense argument until Gaara came by and stops it with a glare or a growl of annoyance.

His ANBU guards have appeared out of nowhere again and delivered the message that his sister is looking for him. He merely stated that he had his daily rounds to do, and that he'll meet her when he's finished with hit. The guards disappeared with a bow while he continued his rounds, not noticing that the sun had already started to set.

Temari tapped her fingers on the tiled counter of the kitchen anxiously, waiting for her brother to come home, hearing the unpleasant rumors about the council forcing Gaara to take a bride again. She didn't like the idea of the council forcing Gaara to do something he didn't want to do. Yes, he's the Kazekage, true, but he's so God damn young! 16 and already they've demanded that he gets himself a wife! What the hell!

Hearing familiar footsteps closing by, Temari more or less fixed her eyes at the entrance to the kitchen until she saw a wave of white, red and blue.

"Finally, you're home!" said Temari, throwing her arms into the air exasperatedly, which clearly indicates that she was cross about something. Placing both of her hands at her hips, Temari served Gaara a glass of water and watches as her brother gulped the water down thirstily. After he had settled the glass on the counter, Temari suddenly rushed forward and sat down on the kitchen counter's bar stools.

"Gaara, I heard that the council pushed you to find a bride again. Is that true?" Temari started, her eyes staring into his, trying to detect something should he lie to her.

Temari had one time observed Gaara for one whole day. When he tried to lie, he would turn his eyes to something else, blinking an awful lot as he tried to act innocent. From then on, whenever Temari wanted the truth out of Gaara, she would stare right into his eyes, forbidding him to look away and avoid her questions. She knew Gaara wanted to please her, and to get on her good side, he would have to start by telling the truth.

Heaving a silent sigh, Gaara gave her a curt nod and answered, "Yes."

"What the hell is that kind of answer?" barked Temari, clearly pissed by what Gaara had told her. She was clearly angry over something that the Council had decided, but Gaara misinterpreted her retort and blinked in confusion.

After thinking for a while, Gaara came up with a reasonable answer, "I believe that's what you do when you open your mouth and explainable resonance come out from your throat."

Widening her eyes, Temari slapped one hand to her forehead. "NO!" she whined loudly. "I mean, you're just going to go and let them decide your life and your marriage, letting them choose a wife for you?"

"Temari, our brother's not that stupid," said a certain puppet master, closing the door towards the Kazekage's Manor and walks right into Temari's Torturing Kitchen, as he had so affectionately named their kitchen. "I heard from Baki earlier that Gaara had declined their offer about an arranged marriage with a line of candidates waiting for him to pick. Apparently most of the candidates for Gaara's bride are either the daughter or the relatives of the Council members."

"Stinkin' bunch of old fungi," Temari gritted her teeth silently in anger, but still, Gaara heard her and snickered. None of the council members dared to go up against his sister if she is charged up. She didn't like the idea of the council pressing her youngest brother to do things against his will. _Enough was enough_, she thought to herself inwardly. _They have had enough control with father for years! It's time they backed down and acted like a real councilmen for once!_

"But seriously," Kankurou started, rubbing his chin in a thinking motion. "I heard that Nishimura Miu is quite pretty, and she was also a kunoichi in Sunagakure. Chuunin level though, but quite good actually. Not bad for a start. "

"Mind to remind yourself why you're still a Chuunin and not a Jounin?" snapped Temari angrily, not liking the fact that Kankurou did not defend his brother like she does. That comment had Kankurou instantly go red in the face and ran to hide in his room, complaining to his beloved puppet about Temari's act of making him lose face in front of his own younger Kazekage brother.

Sighing in defeat, Gaara finds his attention captured by something lying innocently on the kitchen's counter. Temari had earlier excused herself from Gaara's presence, solely for the purpose of purchasing this particular compact disc. The cover of the disc surprised her, for in Kaguya's earlier albums, there was just a single name and nothing else. This time, there was a picture accompanying her, holding the famous rare flower called Ipaasha.

Noting her brother eying the compact disc curiously, Temari smiled and handed it to him.

"Here," she said softly, taking on a gentler tone. "This is the new album that Kaguya released. It just came out today. I haven't listened to it yet, but I allow you to be the first one to play it."

The moment Gaara sets his eyes on the picture adorned on the compact discs cover, his eyes widened in surprise.

The girl that serves as the cover of the compact disc is, in fact, none other than the Kaguya he had met earlier that day. There was her long black hair streaming behind her and looking down onto an elusive white blossom with sad eyes, the rare Ipaasha that produces a fragrant sweet scent while serving as an antidote at the same time.

"This girl..." Gaara mumbled to himself, earning Temari's attention. "I've seen her before..."

"You've seen her? Where? When? How?"

"Apparantly, she lives in Miyagusuku Manor."

Placing the compact disc onto the player, Temari pressed on the 'play' button and moments later, a soft and unique tune played in the air. Both Gaara and Temari listened silently to the song, grasping its meaning and the message that the singer wanted every listener to understand.

_Falling in love, Saying Goodbye_

_With a vow that this is the last heartbreak_

_Even the cherry tree, swaying in the wind, _

_Will eventually blossoms_

_The desert's rain that started to fall_

_Gently streaked past my tears_

_Images that resembles memories_

_Autumn's drama reruns_

_Why have I suffered?_

_Almost the same blows such countless times?_

_But even so, I'll probably fight again_

_That is one of life's mysteries_

_Falling in love, giving it everything_

_With a wish that this is the last heartbreak_

_Even the cherry tree, swaying in the wind_

_Will eventually blossoms_

_In the revolving seasons_

_My shoes are wearing out, more and more_

_Let go the burden in your shoulders_

_So you can seal away the past somewhere_

_From here they're probably not too far_

_Sceneries you haven't even seen_

_I want to overcome the ceaseless pain in my chest_

_And become closer to you_

_I have wondered about once and returned_

_Always grasping for the blue sky_

_Falling in love, saying goodbye_

_With a vow that today's the first good day_

_Everything, even the cherry tree, swaying in the wind_

_Softly reaches out towards you_

The song ended and the last of the music faded into a grand echo. Once again, silence settles over them.

"If what she sings is her life story," Temari broke the silence, her eyes staring transfixed at the pair of sad eyes on the cover of the compact disc. "Then it's too sad."

"She's waiting," Gaara said as his sky blue orbs locked on the flower and the girl. "-for that someone to come back and relieve the pain in her heart – that even though it's painful, she wishes for some goodness to reach out to that person so that they won't feel lonely…"

His thought went back to the time when he is still a child. There was this silhouette of a girl's outline, and the familiar fragrance brought back memories he couldn't even remember, and yet he remembered something about forgetting them. He finds the thought absurd, and yet at the same time it brought out some strange feeling of anticipation from within his chest.

"Gaara," Temari started, drawing Gaara's attention. "What are you going to do about her?

When Gaara remained silent and gave her a confused look, Temari explained in further detail.

"I mean, the singer, Kaguya. Earlier, you have said that she bears the resemblance of a girl you've met at the Miyagusuku Manor, and that she was absolutely fearless and looks as if she knows you. Correct?"

When Gaara nodded his reply, Temari continued, "I heard that the Head Council's seat is still open, and that they're waiting for the young head of the Miyagusuku to come of age. If this Kaguya really is of the Miyagusuku clan, wouldn't it be possible for her family members to fill in the empty seat? After all, the Miyagusuku clan is a fairly large clan to begin with."

When Gaara shook his head, Temari fell silent. "I once read a list of names that contains the missing citizens, shinobi and kunoichi in Sunagakure," Gaara said, his gaze dropping towards the sad figure of Kaguya. "Most of the names in the lists involve noble clans, while the rest is common villagers. They disappeared around the time when the Shinobi War between several countries erupted 3 years ago during the Chuunin Exam without a trace and the noble's servants reported their absence in the village. The same goes for the common villagers. Either they're dead or they've moved on to another village without permission."

"But this particular Miyagusuku clan is a strange one," he continued, picking up the compact disc and admiring the lady in the picture. "It is said that Miyagusuku Haruka, who was father's closest confident at that time, died, and yet his name is not registered in the death list. Everyone else in her family died on the same day in a massacre. The rest of the details are gone."

"Gone?" Temari repeated in confusion.

Gaara nodded once. "It appears that someone didn't want anyone else to delve further into the Miyagusuku clan's history. There is a chance that Miyagusuku Haruka is alive out there somewhere."

"Then, maybe this Kaguya knows something about it," nodding her head towards the compact disc cover. "Or she could have just been a bogus heir."

"Or maybe I'll just make her my bride," Gaara said solemnly. Temari nodded along with his answer, but as soon as she realizes what he had actually said, Temari choked on her own saliva and coughed violently, earning a long stare from Gaara's amused eyes.

"Bogus or not, she's an intriguing character. I'd want that kind of quality in my wife," Gaara said, a small smile starting to carve on his lips. "She won't be helpless if I'm not by her sides if my bride is her."


	4. Dinner Invitation

**Chapter 4:**

**Dinner Invitation**

Gaara went back in his room afterwards, wanting to be left alone to ponder some things back. True, he had decided long ago to put his past behind him and start anew, refusing to allow any piece of it resurfaced back to his mind. Things changed when this Kaguya came out from the rooftop of the Miyagusuku Manor. Somehow, his insides nagged at him to remember her. No, it was not Shukaku. That beast had wanted to keep Gaara all to himself, but Gaara successfully shuts Shukaku up with his humiliating past, keeping him inside a small locked room shaped like a doghouse in his inner mind. And besides, he wanted to remember things too.

The voice that sang the song "Sakura Drops" reminded Gaara strongly of his childhood years. He remembered about a little girl, a small young thing, younger than he was for sure. She had those radiant innocent glow around her, and despite knowing he was _the _Sabaku no Gaara, she introduced herself with a set of smile that is so pure and heartfelt that it seemed to melt his sadness immediately.

The first night he saw her was also the last time he ever saw her. He remembered that he used to avoid going to that area after he had changed into a heartless murderer, because whenever he neared and remembered things about her, his head would start to hurt badly.

**Actually,** Shukaku said, suddenly resurfacing back into his mind with a strange guilty feeling about him, surprising Gaara out of his reverie. **I was the one who did that.** **Remember I used to want to keep you all for myself? Well, this girl was always on the rooftop, waiting for you. I didn't want you to turn back into your goody, goody self before Yashamaru's death. **

…

**I know, I know. You're probably thinking that I'm insane. But the truth is that I've realized something. It's better to be sealed in you than in that stupid giant statue those Akatsuki guys got on their sleeves. Don't wanna sound stupid, but tha truth is, I don't want my reputation to go to the drains again. The whole beast world would be yapping away in gossips if I got sealed somewhere else again. **

_Thanks…I guess._

**No prob, kid. You'd given me good times. Give and take, ya know…? Haha! Man, this is awkward. Gotta go now. **

Gaara smiled to himself when Shukaku accidentally slammed himself on the door towards his doghouse-like house. Mumbling to himself, the tailed beast quickly opened the door and scampered in, gathering up what was left of his pride.

And so, another mystery solved. Kaguya was someone he definitely knew but couldn't remember.

The next day, Gaara had requested for Temari to help him send a letter of invitation to the Miyagusuku household, inviting the head of the clan to visit them in the Kazekage's Manor for dinner that night in the hopes that the Kaguya from the Miyagusuku household is the same person as the Kaguya that sings, at least, that was what Temari had thought. Gaara, on the other hand, wished to sum up the pieces of memories he had recollected, of the little girl in his early life and to confirm if he did knew her at all.

A few hours after the letter is delivered, a reply came back, and instead of a letter of thanks, two golden letters came back, complete with the Miyagusuku clan's family's house crest.

He ran his hand atop the gob of dried golden wax that bores the house crest; a large fan that serves as the base of the family's crest with three Ipaasha flower sitting atop the fan, placed side by side to create an 'arrow'. From what he had read from Suna's history, the flower of Ipaasha is cared for and guarded by one family only, and that significant flower's value is imprinted upon that family's house crest.

Ipaasha is a desert flower that requires skills and patients to grow and nurture. The flower, purplish red on the inside while being surrounded by soft white petals, the Miyagusuku creates wonderful antidote from that blossom no one else could. When one gave the Ipaasha flower a glance, one would have thought that it was just a rare beautiful blossom that flourishes in the desert. The reason why only the Miyagusuku clan is able to create such an important blend of antidote from the Ipaasha flower is that the frail blossom is poisonous, from its very petals to the blossom's roots, with the small exception of the white petals. While the flower itself is dangerous, the sap within the thin white petals contained a neutralizing agent that could deactivate the poison in the Ipaasha flower, and at the same time it could also serves as an antidote to all kinds of poisons. Till this day, no one but the Miyagusuku clan could extract its healing value from it, as the Miyagusuku clan, typically the head, is gifted with remarkable immunity.

Breaking the wax seal, Gaara opens both of the letters and read them one by one. One letter writes the invitation of the Kazekage's family to the Miyagusuku Manor. The words were disgustingly flowery and flattering. He knew by first glance that this letter is written by someone else, despite it bearing the signature of the head of the house. The second latter turns out to be an apology letter, stating that their lady, the head of the Miyagusuku clan is not capable of leaving the manor's ground, ending the letter right then and there. Curiosity arose within Gaara when he noticed that it did not state any reasons.

And so, the Suna Siblings prepared themselves. Temari dressed herself in a kimono while Gaara decided upon his usual dark red outfit. Kankurou, on the poor side, had been forced to take off his 'ridiculous hood', as Temari calls it, nagging all the time that it would have looked absolutely outlandish in a dinner occasion.

Each and every one of the Suna Siblings brought along their weapon for precautions sake. Despite being escorted by ANBU and highly skilled shinobi, Temari and Kankurou couldn't make themselves to leave their weapon at home, fearing a sudden attack out of nowhere like that one time with the Akatsuki. They wouldn't want another kidnapper kidnapping their little brother to happen again.

On their way, Temari and Kankurou had somehow picked a fight and started to throw insults at each other. Stuck in the middle, Gaara gave them time to settle down, waiting patiently for his quarrelsome siblings to pipe down. When their bickering does nothing but escalated to another level, Gaara stepped in and gave both of them a good stare. Both stayed silent along the way.

They finally arrived at the Miyagusuku Manor just when the sun started to set. The Kazekage's Manor was, of course, much larger than the Miyagusuku Manor, and covers an insanely large ground. But still, the Miyagusuku Manor stood in all its glory that the siblings couldn't help but to admire. Much of the manor is constructed with hard expensive dark timber wood, but what made it look impressive is that most of the wooden part of the manor is carved, either with a simple knot or a large exquisite painting of cranes and bonsais.

Both siblings did not notice what Gaara had noted about the manor. When they were welcomed and greeted by the head servants of the manor, who introduces herself as Baba Yaga, Gaara felt a strange feeling overcame him, and the next thing he knew, he no longer felt Shukaku's waking mind.

The old lady had leaded the Suna Siblings pass a series of impressive corridors and halls. Similar to the Kazekage's Manor, the walls on the corridors that are used to greet house guests are decorated with a number of portraits. Gaara stopped by a particular portrait, prompting the others to stop too.

"That is our current head of the clan, Kazekage-sama," said the old head servant, bowing to the Kazekage in respect.

"Miyagusuku Kaguya-hime," Temari read the description underneath the portrait.  
"She's beautiful," said Temari, enthralled with the beautiful girl in the portrait. She appears to be young, barely 16, but already a beauty and a confident leader of her clan. Her eyes stared straight on ahead to the painter who had painted her, while Gaara finds both her stare and her light smile spellbinding, rooting him to the spot. It was a confident stare, the kind that could look intently into one's soul if one stared hard enough. It is as if that portrait of hers is alive in its hypnotic ways.

Baba Yaga leads the Suna Siblings to a large spacious room, almost akin to a guest hall; sketches and framed pictures of the Ipaasha flower and many other beautiful herbal plants. It was an exquisite room befitting the Miyagusuku clan's reputation.

After serving them tea and slices of Suna's famous Lily Cake, the head servant all but disappeared, leaving them alone with their hidden ANBU and the servant maids.

The siblings waited for a good while before they started to notice something strange. The lady of the house, meaning the head of the family, did not come out to greet Gaara, who is considered the most important figure in Suna. Stranger still, the house is eerily silent, devoid of all noises excluding the occasional hushes from the servants and the wind blowing a strange wind chime with multiple glass beads of all colors encircling the steel rods, creating a pleasant sound whenever the wind passed by.

The maid, as Temari notices, has been stealing glances from the young Kazekage all the while they've been here. It begun to irritate her when they started to giggle excitedly, sparking on her anger while she frowned her brows in disagreement. Such disgracing display of emotions in front of the Kazekage, especially before his over-protective siblings, is deemed as an act of dishonoring the house they're working in.

"Where is your Lady?" started Gaara suddenly, startling the maid that serves the tea, almost toppling the expensive porcelain teacup in the process. Bowing low and apologizing profusely, the little servant kept her head low on the ground and replied timidly.

"Milady? K-Kazekage-sama, Milady she is…err…"

"She's what?" Temari snapped, annoyed at the set of giggling servant maids. The little maid flinched slightly from her tone and replied in a small voice, "Milady…she's resting…"

"Resting!" barked Temari, slapping her hand atop the coffee table and standing up, furious with what she had heard from the little maid.

Realizing that the Wind Mistress is angry, the little maid spilled out a series of quick reply and said nervously, "Milady's tired from yesterday's incident! The Ipaasha Garden is infiltrated by unknown shinobi trying to steal the flowers, destroying most of the flowers! She's the only one who can get into the Ipaasha Garden without getting poisoned! She gave us orders to stay out of her way while she tended to the garden till this noon! Please forgive her!"

"Wakame!" said Baba Yaga, who had came back to update the Suna Siblings about the arrival of their head of clan. Upon hearing the elder head servant's voice, the little maid quickly scrambled up and stood in front of the old servant, heads bowing low and preparing her for the worse.

Sighing in defeat, the old head servant bowed low to the Suna Siblings and apologized.

"I am deeply regretful of what had transpired in my absence, Kazekage-sama, Temari-dono, Kankurou-dono. Please excuse this maid's impertinence at attending Your Eminences'. She is new here in this household, taken in by Kaguya-hime just days before Your Eminences' arrival. I will punish her accordingly-"

"Please refrain from doing so, Baba Yaga," Gaara said to the head maid servant. When his siblings gave him a confused look, he explained his reasoning's. "She is only doing what we have requested her to do. It is not her fault."

"If that is the case," Temari said to Baba Yaga. "We'll come back another time then."

Just as Baba Yaga went forward to stop the Suna Siblings from leaving, a bloodcurdling scream sounded and vibrated in the manor, sending chills down everyone's spine.

Moments later, running footsteps approached them and slides the shoji door none too gently with a loud 'snap. It was another servant maid, appearing rather disheveled, a look of horror plastered on her face.

"Fire!" she screeched. "There's fire in the Hime's room! Fire! Help!"


	5. Fire In The Chamber

**Chapter 5:**

**Fire in the Chamber**

Upon reaching the red sliding door, the strange blue flames have started to lick the small gaping holes in between the cracks of the sliding door. There were two golden bells hanging limply on a yellow silk string tied onto each of the golden hoops, serving as a lever to the sliding door.

Using his sand to slide the door open, the Suna Siblings is immediately greeted with a burst of blue transparent flame gushing out of the room. Gaara had erected a protective sand shield in the nick of time, protecting himself and his siblings from the onslaught of the fire. When it had subsided a little, Gaara lowered his sand shield and saw with his own eyes the sleeping chamber of the head of the Miyagusuku clan. It was completely enveloped in blue licking flames, sending all the charms on the interior of the chamber flying in a torrent of flames. The Suna Siblings immediately noted the strange intensity of the fire. It was blue, and yet at the same time, instead of burning hot, the flames were unexpectedly… warm.

There was a figure suspended in mid air amongst the sea of blue flames, defying the laws of gravity. She appears to be slumbering peacefully, her eyes closed while her body floated in mid air, hair swirling around her sleeping form like tendrils of black ribbons. It was an eerie yet beautiful sight to behold.

"Hime-sama! Hime-sama! Please wake up!" Baba Yaga exclaimed, trying to awake the sleeping Kaguya, not daring to step closer to the room.

"It's not burning…" Temari whispered her awe beside Gaara. "None of the papers and things in the room is burning…"

Then they became aware of the strange bird-like creature beside her; it's appearance is similar to that of a phoenix bird, with its significant long fiery tail, ruby red eyes and a crown of feathers. Upon sensing visitors, the bird turned its attention towards the trio standing outside of Kaguya's chamber and uttered a loud musical squawk before disappearing in a violent flow of flames.

Upon disappearance, the flames ceased to blaze, fading along with the phoenix. The next thing they knew, Kaguya's sleeping figure loses the momentum suspending her in mid air and fell down onto the futon.

Gaara's sand couldn't react fast enough for it to catch the falling princess. Groaning when the impact jolted her awake, the princess turned herself over and lie with her front side entirely facing the futon, burying her face in her blanket.

"Urgh…" Kaguya groaned, lifting her head while one of her hand brushed her bangs back. "Not again…" she said tiredly, her eyes not quite registering the three new occupants of her room.

"Hi-Hime-sama..." Baba Yaga said in an astonished tone. Moving forward quickly, Baba Yaga knelt beside Kaguya's form and shakes her lightly. "Hime-sama…Hime-sama! There are visitors around!"

"Tell them to go away…I'm tired…" slurred Kaguya, her head hitting the bed back with a light thump. She groaned loudly and protested when Baba Yaga continued to shake her awake, insisting that she woke up this instant.

"Hime-sama! It's the Kazekage and his family! Hime-sama! Wake up now!"

At the sound of the word 'Kazekage', Kaguya's eyes snapped open immediately.

"The…Kazekage…?" Kaguys repeated slowly, lifting herself up from the futon slowly, inch by inch.

Turning her head around slowly, Kaguya blinked in surprise at the presence of the Suna Siblings in her chamber, who blinked back at her in speechlessness.

….

After the fire incident, the Suna Siblings have been escorted back to the waiting hall, where they waited patiently for the arrival of the head of clan.

While they waited, they asked for Baba Yaga's explanation of what had just occurred within the chamber of the head of clan, which is Kaguya herself.

Once again, the old lady bowed low to apologize. "Such cases don't happen frequently," the old servant had said, sighing while shaking her head slowly. "Hime-sama doesn't get tired easily, but there was an unknown invasion yesterday morning, and Hime-sama herself has been caring for the Ipaasha Garden for quite a while. The main garden is unharmed, but the young saplings, almost mature enough to bloom are destroyed. She managed to save a few of the sprout Ipaashas, but the rest…nothing can be salvaged from that kind of loss."

"What about dinner?" Kankurou said from aside Gaara, getting the message that he's completely starved for the day by yawning and scratching his belly thoughtlessly, not caring of the small audience of maid servants giggling at him. "I'm completely starved!"

"Kankurou!" Temari snapped warningly, a deep frown already etched on her forehead. "Behave yourself! You do that again and I'm going to squash you for real this time when we get back home!"

"Again, I apologize for the lateness," Baba Yaga bowed low to the Kazekage and his family. "Dinner, as per Hime-sama's orders, will be served up on the other side of this hall. The maid servants are currently prepping up the place, while Hime-sama herself would be preparing a few of her special dishes personally."

"Herself?" Kankurou said carelessly, not entirely interested and yet trying to put an effort to make a decent conversation. "You mean, she doesn't have a chef?"

Baba Yaga bowed her head slightly towards Kankurou's direction. "Hime-sama's passion is fine cuisine, and she herself appreciates them more if they are done with her own hands."

"That's quite an achievement," Temari said, impressed with what Baba Yaga had related to them about Kaguya. "It's rare for a lady of her rank to step into the kitchen."

Baba Yaga smiled at Temari's comment. "Considering her complicated situation and her persevering nature, Hime-sama studied everything she could land her hands on in her personal library. That is the most she could do to make herself feel unbounded by the house rules."

"House rules?" Temari repeated, finding what she had heard rather peculiar. "What kind of house rules? Talking about those, it reminds me about the letters that have been delivered to us. It states that the head lady is not capable of leaving the house. Why is that?"

"It is best that Temari-dono reserves these questions to Hime-sama directly," Baba Yaga said politely. "It is difficult, something that I, in my position, are unable to provide a satisfactory explanation."

The sun had completely disappeared from the horizon by the time the shoji door slides open, revealing the head of the Miyagusuku clan draped in a lovely dark blue Kimono, her long hair arranged in a simple braided bun held with three intricate kanzashis.

"I apologize for my tardiness, Kazekage-sama, Temari-dono, Kankurou-dono," Kaguya had said, bowing low in respect of the presence of Gaara and his family. "A certain creature had intruded my kitchen earlier and caused a little complication to the dishes I've prepared for everyone."

"It is fine," Temari said understandingly, finding herself liking her instantly. "We understand what had happened. You have no need to worry."

"I thank Temari-dono for your consideration. This doesn't happen frequently, but since my nana here-" Kaguya said while glancing over to Baba Yaga. "-have explained almost everything, I have nothing else to say."

With a glance at her nana and a node to her new personal maid, Wakame, both of them nodded in grasped her meaning and bowed low to her in respect. Leaving her side, both of them and the rest of the maid servants followed them to open up the hall's door. The other batch of maid servants, upon seeing two of Kaguya's personal maids, lighted up the place in perfect unison while the rest of the maid servants went and slide the windows the size of the hall's wall open, letting in pleasant evening breeze and the pleasing light scent of Ipaashas.

"I must say, Kaguya-hime, you have a very beautiful manor," Temari commented while walking towards the prepared dinner hall, admiring the efforts put in to receive Gaara, Kankurou and herself.

"Thank you," said Kaguya, smiling sweetly at her guests. "I've prepared a few special dishes of mine," Kaguya motioned her hands on the dishes set on the tables. "I do hope that everyone would like them."

She waited for Gaara and his siblings to sit themselves at the table, arranged with sitting cushions; one side of the table with 3 sitting cushions while the other side has one. When they have made themselves comfortable, Kaguya then sat herself in the middle of the table, facing Gaara and again, smiled at everyone politely.

Once again, she gave Baba Yaga another glance and smiled. Baba Yaga bowed in acknowledgement of her request and produces a small hand bell from within her long sleeves. Maids came in with trays of covered dishes. Uncovering the dishes served in porcelain tableware, the maids returned to the kitchen and awaiting their next order. "This is a rather special soup of mine," Kaguya said, gesturing towards the newly arrived porcelain clay pot. "It's a family recipe from my mother's side of the family."

"Finally! I'm starved!" cried Kankurou. Both Gaara and Temari shoot to him a glare that silenced him instantly.

The dinner was carried out in silence. Once in a while, Temari and Gaara would engage in a conversation with Kaguya, while all Kankurou commented on was the delicious dinner. The multicolored wind chime hanging on one of the many wooden windows chimed merrily when the breeze passed by, creating a serene ambiance for the diners.

After their dinner finished, the maid carried the empty plates back to the kitchen. Kaguya gave a node to Baba Yaga, signaling her to leave her and her important guests in silence.

Kaguya watches as the shoji door slides to a slow halt, the bell hanging on the handle of the shoji door jingle softly. Turning towards her guests, Kaguya gave them a serene smile.

"I am sorry that Kazekage-sama and your family have to come all the way from the Kazekage's Manor to mine," Kaguya said remorsefully. "I apologize for the rude refusal of your invitation to your manor, Kazekage-sama, but my current situation that my grandfather had set during my younger years prevented me from leaving the Miyagusuku grounds."

"Your grandfather?" Gaara said in what appears to be after an eternity of silence, finally coming to the topic he is most interested in. "I've read something of your family, and that the last head of your clan has been announces as dead, but his body is missing."

Kaguya smiles. "Even so, I believe that he is alive somewhere in Suna, even if his whereabouts are currently unknown."

"Why do you believe so?" Temari asked.

Again, Kaguya smiles politely. "Because, if he had truly died as the reports have stated in what Kazekage-sama had read, I would have been long freed from these confining grounds."

For a moment, her eyes, which she casted down upon the tatami floor when she brought up the topics of her grandfather, seemed to grow hazy for a while, no doubt thinking about something that is connected with their current topic. But then she seemed to realize what she is doing and quickly put her smiling face on, politely smiling to whomever is looking at her.

"I seem to recall that Kazekage-sama yourself have invited me to your manor, before I declined it with my reasons. Is there anything the matter that needed my presence at the Kazekage's Manor?"

"As a matter of fact, there is," said Temari, taking the initiative to explain the issue at hand. Gaara gave Temari an encouraging nod and she continued, "We have, as Gaara had said earlier, read about you and your family. Apart from wanting to invite you to dinner, we would also like to discuss a certain matter with you in the confines of a private ground. Since you can't leave the Miyagusuku clan's ground for a valid reason, we came here and, pardon the late notification, secured this manor with Gaara's ANBU guards. They've made sure this place is secure and free from prying ears the moment we stepped into the manor's grounds."

Instead of appear outraged with what they have done without her permission, Kaguya, to their surprise, continued to smile graciously.

"It's alright," she said, seemingly finding Temari's explanation a tad bit amusing. "As the head of this manor, I am well connected with it. I know everything, anything and anyone that comes and goes in here, and I must say, your ANBU guards are very impressive. I've never felt anyone move this fast in my manor before. Their speed is just so very amazing. They've trained themselves well."

"You mean," Kankurou interjected, appearing as if he couldn't believe what he have just heard. "You meant to say that you knew from the start that Gaara's ANBU guards are here with us as well?"

"Yes," Kaguya agreed. "They're just hiding right outside the windows and the door, aren't they? It's been quite a while…"

"And," she continued after another expected silence from her important guests. "Pray tell, what is this 'certain matter' that the Kazekage-sama and his kindred wanted to discuss with me? I would be glad to be of help to all of you."

Temari blinked her eyes. Everything she has expected from Kaguya turns out to be so drastically different from her expectations. She half expected her to freak out from the presence and the close proximity that she has with Gaara, after all, Gaara is and still remains the most feared Suna's shinobi, not to mention about his Shukaku. But then she have taken the news of his arrival well and politely, and such a sincere smile! Yes, Kaguya does smile a lot, but it was so sincere, as if she hasn't met a new face in a long while and is excited to meet them regardless of who they are and what they could do with their shinobi skills.

Then there was this strange poise of confidence that seemed to radiate off her very being. It was similar to that of Gaara's dignified confidence, surrounding his very being as the Kazekage of Suna and the Hidden Village of Wind. It was what made him successful in becoming a Kazekage, and at the same time, it was what made everyone started to acknowledge him as their leader. She did not even blanch at the sight of him. Maybe they truly have a history together a long time ago, thought Temari,

"We would like to ask you- well, it's actually Gaara's idea-"

"The council is pressuring me into a marriage," Gaara said, ignoring the sudden silence that has settled over them when he spoke up after keeping silent for so long. "I am not pleased with the way they presented profiles of young girls for me to choose. I need a bride, a wife; someone willing and not see me for the monster in me, but of who I am. I am. You're the first candidate in my own list."

A long awkward silence settled upon them. Everyone waited for a reaction from Kaguya, but she remained stiff on her spot, too shocked to reply or make a facial expression out of it. Mouth gapped open slightly; her large eyes stared unblinking and unmoving at Gaara, who stared back at her steadily.

Then she blinked.

Taking a breath, Kaguya smiled in surprise. "Well, that's unexpected…haha…"

Everyone continued to stare at her.

Blinking again, Kaguya nodded her head slowly. "Well, I would be honored-"

"Don't." Gaara said suddenly, halting Kaguya's words. Placing a lightly fisted hand gawkily on his chest, Gaara continued, "Do what your heart tells you to. I will visit you frequently from now on as to build up a bond between us. If you feel uncomfortable, I will stop visiting you and remove you from my bride's candidate's list."

Kaguya gaped, stunned to astonishment.

"Ga-Gaara!" Temari stuttered, looking to and fro from Gaara's face to Kaguya's. "Those words just sounds so wrong, coming from your mouth…! I'm sorry, Kaguya-hime," Temari said apologetically, "My brother's not exactly the socializing type. He's not suited to negotiate with you, but he insisted on coming-"

One particular word caught Kaguya's attention. Head cocked to the side, Kaguya repeated to make sure that she didn't heard it wrongly. "Negotiate?" she said seriously.

Temari paused, surprised at her tone. "Yes," Temari said. "Well, it may sound off, but if you agree to be his bride, he'll give you whatever you want in return. He'll grant you your deepest desire…your wish, in a way. It's your choice to begin with."

"Did you mean it?" Kaguya asked out of the blue, her beautiful eyes staring into his again.

Confused, Gaara repeated. "Meaning?"

"I mean," she said. "You would give me anything I want, anything I desire and wish? Anything?"

"Anything."

Her eyes held the faraway stare for a while, looking at Gaara but at the same time, she looked past him, as if he's invisible. Standing up slowly, Kaguya walked towards one of the shoji-windows and stared out into the night, finding the crescent moon on the dark clear sky bright and beautiful.

"I have but one wish," Kaguya said softly, her eyes fixated on the moon. "It's something that I've thought about since the death of my families. So long as I reside in this manor, I couldn't and never would come into contact with the life outside these confining grounds."

Turning around, Kaguya leaned her back against the window and smiled at Gaara.

"I have never one succeeded in stepping out of my clan's territory for the last 16 years. My dream of seeing the rising moon and the setting sun in another place apart from this manor never came true because of this."

"I wanted to be free, to have my own freedom, to not be tied down by something such as a confining spell. I want to find my grandfather, ask him why confine me to this place, ask him about the confusing memories that drives me insane every night in my dreams."

"And since you've offered, Kazekage Godaime Gaara-sama," she moved forward slowly towards Gaara, who still have his back to her while his head turned aside to look at her. "Since you've proposed and offered me your power to grant my wish and desire, I shall be your bride willingly and gladly."


	6. The Caged Princess

**Chapter 6:**

**The Caged Princess**

The siblings went back to the Kazekage's Manor. Gaara kept thinking about what she had said about the Miyagusuku clan, her facial expression when she narrate her life story kept replaying in his mind over and over again. And her eyes; it glittered with unshed tears, and yet she held it back and – if he didn't make a mistake with what he had seen – she glowered at the portrait of her father in an unnoticed part of the room, who stared back at her in a frozen stare with an unpleasant sneer on his face.

**-Flashback-**

"I came from one of Sunagakure's most famous Kabuki family, the perfect Miyagusuku clan," Kaguya said, moving back to her seat gracefully with a strange expression on her face. "Our history could be traced back to a few hundred years. The brides of the Head of Clan came from somewhere faraway so as to bring about a good and steady bloodline. Most of my ancestors are of Chinese descendants; travelers, migrating to somewhere in the world to settle down."

"It – We – the Miyagusuku clan members have a particular trait that is quite noticeable to the public. We are all beautiful and stunning, be it man or woman, children, babies, old and young. That is a bloodline trait shared by all Miyagusuku's members."

"My grandma and grandpa have 8 children. My father, as the third child, ranked as the eldest son in the family, marking him as the next in line as the head of the clan. He married a Shiratoe Seer 16 years ago in one of the grandest wedding ever held in the Miyagusuku history, boring me a year later. It was an unwilling marriage."

That sparked Temari's interest. "Unwilling marriage?"

Kaguya nodded. "I couldn't remember much of the details leading to the marriage, but I do know that it's not done willingly."

Turning towards Gaara, Kaguya asked him to confirm of one thing that she had felt from their first meeting.

"I trust that everyone, especially the Kazekage-sama, have noticed a strange bird hovering around me today?"

Everyone recalled it quickly and nodded. "My birth came with a package that most of my family members didn't know. I'm a Jinchuuruki by birth, with a bijuu 'born' along with me rather than 'sealed' into me like Kazekage-sama here," Kaguya gestured her head towards Gaara's direction. "It was unexpected and expected at the same time. A Seer's child with someone incompatible with the Seer's family is usually gifted in a good way sometimes and a bad way sometimes. My bijuu is kind and gentle, while some other Seer's child who bears a child of someone who is not 'right' for them turns out to be a disastrous creation, something that is neither a human nor a monster. I am, in a way, lucky."

"My father wanted a boy. After my mother bore me, the doctor told him that she can never have another child again. My father treated my mother harshly, going into an abusive and violent behavior, going as far as to hit and rape her even when she was pregnant. And so, from then on, everyone in the family turned against me and my mother just to please the future head of the clan. "

"My mother died when I turned 10. She didn't die of natural death, but I was certain that she was poisoned in some way. She was the one who taught me about medicine. I learned quickly, excelling in everything I've indulged in just so that my father wouldn't land another slap on my mother's face. I flourished into the son he always wanted, and yet my mother still suffers under him and dies by – which I am certain – his hands."

"And the rest of the stories remained a haze, like a dream in my mind. I couldn't remember most of it, and I've found out later on that my grandfather have put on a confining spell on me, taking away my freedom. I've yet to break free from it."

"All I remember is that the rest of the Miyagusuku members died out mysteriously. They're just gone the morning I woke up from a nightmare, and then, I, as the last remaining Miyagusuku, ascended the throne and became the head of clan."

**-End of Flashback-**

It was strange. He touched his chest, feeling his beating heart and the warmth emanating from the thin black shirt he wore for the night. He felt his heart skipped a few beats whenever he saw her, and when she narrate about her life in the Miyagusuku clan as someone confined to the very grounds of the clan she took charge of, he couldn't help but to feel his very core clutched at his soul. He couldn't imagine being confined to someplace for more than 16 years. It would be a torturous thing to do. It was not a good thing to be confined.

Taking off his Kazekage's robes, Gaara put on his simple black tunic and black pants before hopping down from his window with his gourd behind his back and transported himself on sand to take a long walk.

_Shukaku_, Gaara called from his mind.

**Thought you would call me sooner, boy**, Shukaku said from within Gaara's mind. **What's up?**

_This evening, the dinner at Miyagusuku's Manor, are you awake?_

**Dinner! When's that? **When Gaara fell silent, Shukaku realized something on his own.** No, I don't think I'm awake in, like, eons! **Shukaku stretched back and forth on his hinds, yawning widely.** Come to think of it, that was some good nap I've got there.**

_It's the girl then, _Gaara said inwardly._ I suspected the charm again. _

**What girl? The girl at the rooftop you saw the other day?**

_Yes._

**Well, she's charming – beautiful even! But she had that charm…I've told you about it. It puts Jinchuuruki's bijuu to sleep. **

_I know. You didn't even realize it. _

Before he knew it, his sand had landed upon one particular manor's rooftop and jolted him awake from his mind talk with Shukaku.

_Shukaku, you-_

**I swear, it's not me,** Shukaku said, paws hold up innocently with his eyes opened wide and innocent.

Before he had the time to assess his current situation, a familiar soft voice called him from behind.

"Kazekage-sama?" the soft voice called. Turning around, Gaara sets his eyes upon the lovely figure of Miyagusuku Kaguya, who stared at his profile and his sudden visit in bewilderment. Catching herself staring at the highest authority figure in Suna, Kaguya quickly bowed to him and said, "Good evening, Kazekage-sama!"

"Good evening, Kaguya-hime." Gaara said politely, bowing back to her slightly.

For once, both Gaara and Kaguya stood awkwardly, staring at each other from quite a distance without saying anything. Gaara mused to himself that Kaguya's profile looked so fragile and soft. She had changed out of her kimono and settled into a long white flowing gown of white silk. It was a thin piece of cloth, and her sleeves are almost see-through, with light embroideries on the hem of her sleeves and her skirt. Her fair skin seemed to glow under the pale lights of the waning moon, while her large eyes innocent and naïve, oblivious to the outside world's harsh reality and the truth that a Jinchuuruki is not well accepted within the society.

Gaara have never taken such intense detail from a person before. He finds this new notion of his rather unsettling, feeling heat spreading on his face when he realizes that he could very well be checking every inch of her out. To him, it was a disgracing act.

**Aww…**Shukaku mused loudly to himself in Gaara's inner mind, surfacing upon finding out Gaara had a disturbing thought about himself. **Don't be shy, kid! That's normal for boys your age! You're a growing ball of hormones and all! Check her out! Watch out for flat chests though. I heard the humans used to say that they really do kill the atmosphere in bed.**

When Gaara's face heated up despite his attempts to cool off, Kaguya unexpectedly exclaimed suddenly while directing her gaze towards his abdomen.

"That's so rude of you!" Kaguya exclaimed, her eyebrows furrowed deeply as a hot red blush painted across her face into an embarrassing expression. "-and that's not true either! I do NOT have flat chest!"

If Gaara had eyebrows, he would have raised them up in surprise.

When Kaguya finally caught onto herself that she's practically screaming at the Kazekage, she flustered and panicked.

"Oh, dear!" she squeaked as Gaara's clear light eyes stared at her in shock. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Oh, goodness, Kazekage-sama, sorry! I'm so sorry! I thought I heard some insults from…err…your tailed beast...it's just…erm…oh dear, I'm so sorry, Kazekage-sama!"

From a distance, the soft wind of Sunagakure at night ruffled Gaara's crimson locks fondly. He almost smiled when he saw just how amusing it was to watch her grow all flustered. _And that blush,_ he thought to himself. It was such a wonderful color, and he watched as it gradually darkens in color the more he stared at her. He liked to see her all flushed up.

A small running creature caught his eyes, tearing his attention from Kaguya to the running creature on the floor. It was a strange creature, with perked up ears, bushy tail like that of a squirrel and the face of a small fox, all silver colored. It didn't seem to notice him standing where he was, and continued to run in circles and zigzags, as if it were being chased by something.

Kaguya, finally stopped flushing and flustering, followed Gaara's curious stare and found herself looking at her pet companion, running from her own tailed beast as it chased the little creature round and round the roof. Kaguya knew Gaara couldn't see her tailed beast's true form, and half turned to ask him if he were interested in seeing her when suddenly, the little fox-like creature changed course from a mid u-turn and sprinted rapidly, straight towards Gaara's direction.

Worse came to the worse, the little fox-like creature took a great leap and sank its claws into Gaara's sand, which suddenly sprung up all of a sudden in response to a sudden attack. With a loud squeak, the little fox leaped back and screeched at Gaara, all fur bristling and standing up, making itself looked as if it had grown two times its original size.

"Goodness, Spade!" Kaguya exclaimed suddenly, directing her focus on the creature as it stopped spitting and screeching almost instantly. "This is rude! Apologize immediately to Kazekage-sama!"

Upon hearing Kaguya's demands, the fox-like creature, Spade, turned around slowly and smoothed its fur back, changing back into its former size before it enlarged itself with its fur.

"_But Hime_!" the creature spoke all of a sudden in a childish voice, sounding just like a little boy. "_He might just be the intruder destroying the Ipaasha's Garden!"_

If Gaara had eyebrows, he would have, by this time, raised them high up till the point that they're in danger of disappearing into his hair. Sure, he have met with talking conversing and intelligent tailed beasts, but he have never came across something that's akin to an animal, a strange creature to be precise, that could speak. And sure, a familiar that can be summoned could talk, but this one bears no signs that it is a tame one; or rather, this one did not seem at all like a species that could be a shinobi's familiar.

"No he's not," Kaguya said reassuringly, bending over slightly towards the little creature sitting on the ground in an obedient way. "I trust him with my soul. He couldn't be the one who destroys the Ipaasha's."

"Gaara-sama, this is Spade. He is the hybrid offspring of a desert fox and a rare forest fox. I caught one of my servants trying to kill him, thinking that he's just a regular desert rodent. He felt that he owes his life to me, and had since then stayed by my side. He helps me guard the Garden of Ipaasha from intruders, and he's also the one who sounded the alert most of the time."

Turning towards Spade, Kaguya crouched slightly and said, "Spade, this is Suna's Kazekage, Godaime Gaara-sama. Be polite."

Spade turned back to look up at Gaara, its beady black eyes wide open, scrutinizing Gaara in a very human-ish way.

**Like an old hag, that little beast,** Shukaku said to Gaara, scrutinizing at Spade the same way Spade scrutinized Gaara. The young Kazekage could feel from within him, the One-Tailed Shukaku's feelings rises up to form a kind of hatred towards the little creature. It would seem that Shukaku didn't like Spade at all, and finds their first encounter quite a nuisance.

"_Then I shall apologize_," said the little creature, bowing slightly towards Gaara. Kaguya smiled at the sight of Gaara's stunned expression and Spade's civility. "_I wouldn't have attacked you had I knew who you were from the start_."

Lifting its small head up, the little creature stared ahead into Gaara's sky blue eyes with its own beady black gaze and continued, "_The Ipaashas are important to Hime-sama. It is considered a treasure belonging to both Suna and the Miyagusukus, and the only person who could care for it is Hime-sama herself. All I could do as a servant is to stand guard against those who wants all the Ipaashas for their own evil doings_."

"Rest assured," Gaara said with his eyes transfixed with the way Kaguya seemed to smile at him with admiration. "I'll send my best guards to guard the garden first thing in the morning. But I must know how did they come and go as they pleased? Weren't the flowers toxic?"

Kaguya smiled sadly at him and replied, "They're fast. They come and destroy whatever they could within the garden, and the next thing we knew, they're gone. They're good at what they did. By the time I arrive at the garden, all I could do is to save the saplings and ignore everything else. It was all I could do as the sole person for the task of caring the Ipaashas."

Silence settled over them once again, with Kaguya enjoying the night breeze with her eyes closed while Gaara himself occasionally gazes over towards her. The more he glances at her, the more he finds himself captivated by her presence. Everything about her is graceful; the way she holds her hair from fluttering all over her face, the way she smiles at him and the way she looks at him. Everything is just so…beautiful.

"Aren't you cold?" Gaara finally asked, finding the silence terribly tensing. He noticed her shaped eyebrows arched a little while her eyes widen in questioning.

"Hmm?" Kaguya hummed, her eyes sweeping in the young Kazekage's profile as he stood there by the roof's balcony, one hand placing on top of the rail while the wind ruffles his hair. For a moment, she is captivated.

"I say," Gaara said once again, jolting Kaguya from her reverie, his very light-blue eyes looking over at her small stature. "Aren't you cold?" he continued, noting once again Kaguya's questioning looks. "You're not wearing any overcoat."

Then came the heartbreakingly beautiful smile as her beautiful lips spreads wide across her fair visage, giving Gaara a perfect view of her set of teeth. Gaara's heart skipped a beat at the sight of her smile. "I don't really need it; I guess…I've never experienced cold."

Cocking his head slightly to one side, Gaara gave her his own questioning looks. "Suna's temperature is the one place where temperature fluctuates in a surprising pace. One moment it could be scorching hot, the next it would be freezing cold. You've lived here for all your life and still you say you've never experienced cold?"

Still smiling, Kaguya shrugged her shoulders slightly and breathed in the cool night's air. "I guess by being Maia's host, I'm well protected from any offending temperatures. I've always felt comfortable, and I've never felt too hot or too cold. In fact, I've never felt them before, so I don't really understand what kind of cold you're actually talking about."

Their conversation was broken with a loud squeak from the desert fox hybrid. It was actually comical to watch the fox going around in circles, as if hell's fire was just inches from burning its bushy tail. Little does Gaara knows that it's actually true…

"Maia!" Kaguya exclaimed, her eyes following something in the air that Gaara couldn't actually see. In fact, there is nothing in the air, and yet strangely, he felt winds, as if something were flying past him. "Maia! Spade! Stop it, you both!"

The wind stopped, and so did the little desert fox. Kaguya's expression were troubled by the fact that the little fox appeared to be arguing into the air, while Kaguya watches from the little fox to the air, then back to the fox and back to the air again, wanting to calm both arguing sides down.

**You've got to be kidding me kid...**

"Who's Maia?" Gaara said, finally deciding to speak up after learning of the fact that Kaguya can indeed hear Shukaku speaking. He thanks whatever god there is in Suna that his private thoughts are at least kept to himself, or else everyone there could see him and his not so entirely clean thoughts about his future bride…

Shukaku snickered in Gaara's thoughts, but knew better than to voice it out.

There was a slight stare coming from both Kaguya and the little desert fox. He felt that there is a third pair of eyes staring at him, but still, he couldn't seem to see the third invisible creature. He has his own speculation that it could well be Kaguya's tailed beast, but he couldn't well place his memory about exactly who this Maia person might be. From what he had read, there are nine tailed beasts in the histories of the Shinobi World, spilt from the Ten-Tails itself into nine different beasts. He has never heard of a-Maia tailed-beast before.

Shukaku howled with laughter at what Gaara have thought about Maia. Gaara, as per usual ignored the beast.

Upon hearing Gaara's confusement as to who 'Maia' actually is, she realizes that Maia might have concealed herself from him and shrouded his eyes so that she might appear invisible to the eyes of the young Kazekage. Wanting to introduce Maia to him, Kaguya called and looks up into the sky with an adorable pleading look on her face. "Maia?"

Moments later, as per her command, the sky above her becomes blurry and, in a matter of moments, a large red burning bird materialized.

It was the phoenix that he had seen earlier when Kaguya is found sleeping while suspended on air and surrounded by blue flames. The sight of a rare and live legendary bird flying so closely to him brought about an enormous feeling of contentment and awe, and he couldn't help but to stare and gap at the sight of the phoenix. It's eyes a glowing ruby red, a large diamond-shaped ruby glinting on its forehead and a crown of burning red and yellow feathers decorated its magnificent head. The phoenix flexed its shiny golden claws and swished its brightly lit tails, almost wrapping around Kaguya protectively against…him?

**That is Maia, boy, **Shukaku said knowingly.** Maia of the Phoenix is not one of your average eight-tailed beasts. She's on a whole different level than our very own eight-tailed beast of the Kirigakure, as she's an original eight tail. She's not one of the nine tailed beast's 'family', and you might have noticed that she's not at all mentioned in the tailed-beast's dictionary your kind made long ago. **

**She was a phoenix bird by birth, all alive and well and living in the mountains untouched by humans. It just so happens that she ventures too far into the human's territory and was caught and sealed. The bad news is, the humans couldn't be any dumber by drenching her fire with water, thinking that it would be easier to control and seal her. She dies from the result, long before the humans have time to prepare the sealing seals for her. **

**Fearing that she would reborn from the ashes and takes her revenge on them, the humans sealed the little ash remaining from her dead body with Death, Nibi no Nekomata's original master. For a phoenix with a fire nature, it was torturing to live in the realm of the dead. As she is technically permanently 'dead', she couldn't use fire to warm her as all phoenixes does. She made a bargain with Death, saying that she would obey him fully so long as Death lets her do as she wishes for one lifetime. **

Gaara suddenly felt wary of Shukaku's intention of telling a fullblown story of the Phoenix. _You're being awfully nice about this... _he replied Shukaku slowly.

**Yeah right, **Shukaku said lazily, waving a hand to Gaara when it felt just how cautious the boy had become after his story. **I just don't want to suffer her wrath. Her fire can burn forever if she wanted to, almost like that Uchiha's Amaterasu. The good thing about Maia is that she's able to grant life, even though she's still under Death's hand.**

_As in? _Gaara asked curiously.

Shukaku rolled his eyes.** As in making dead people come back to life, duh? Better, keep Maia a secret from everyone. You know the nature of humans; they'll come as a hoard of greedy life sucking pest if they were to know that poor kid owns the bird… **

Upon hearing the word 'bird', Maia snapped its large burning head towards Gaara and glared at Shukaku with its burning gaze._** Keep talking about me and Kaguya and I'll burn your damn fat arse, Shukaku. I'll have you remember that you're not exactly put into my good graces, One-tail!**_

Shukaku bites its lips and kept quiet about the 'One-Tail' comment.

_Amazing how some other things other than me are able to make you shut up, Shukaku._

"Maia?" Kaguya said warningly in a soft tone, looking up at the bird through her lashes. The bird nodded its large head knowingly and gave Gaara a slight nod in the head.

"_**Well then, it is rather nice to finally meet you, Godaime Kazekage Gaara-sama. Kaguya's been dreaming about you for days after what seemed to be your reunion with her…" **_Maia continued to blab away, ignoring Kaguya's hushing remarks about "What happened to keeping each other's private thoughts private!" The bird seemed to like it when Kaguya flushes an adorable shade of red as it swished its tails around faster. _**"But it's certainly brought sores to my beautiful eyes when I saw that ugly One-tailed Shukaku. How it taints my beauty to be breathing the same air with that dog."**_

**How the conversations turns…**Shukaku sighed to himself. **Its seriously not my fault that I happened to be inside Gaara and at the same time you're inside that little lady, and that both of them likes each other's presence and that both of us practically **rejects** each other's presence. **

"Maia…you promised me to behave," Kaguya said softly in a warning tone.

The phoenix rolled its beautiful eyes and sighed dramatically. _**Alright, alright!**_ Turning towards Spade, Maia haughtily said to the desert hybrid fox, _**Next time I'll chase and burn you to a crisp then I'll have you for snack! I promise it!**_

"_You've said that phrase for like, what – three times in a row now? How boring! Could you get any lamer than that?_" the fox said invitingly, wriggling its eyebrow and swishing its tail around to goad the phoenix. Before the phoenix could retort, Kaguya had all but put one comforting hand over the phoenix's neck and the large fire bird silenced obediently, disappearing behind Kaguya's mind to rest.

"The same thing goes for you too, Spade," Kaguya said in an equally warning tone. Her voice is soft, and yet at the same time it is different from what she normally would have sounded like. It appears that whenever she wanted herself to be put seriously, she would stop smiling. A slight curve at the corner of her lips, perhaps, but Gaara could see for himself that the hidden curve is something that she is born with, and it is not one of her expressions. "You goaded Maia into arguing with you, and you ignored my warning despite me telling you that you're not supposed to do that. The next time she begged me for you as her next snack I might just let her in for the swarm."

"_Aww, Hime!"_ The little desert fox hybrid moaned, rolling onto its back and rolling out its tongue playfully. "_That old girl asked for it! You heard her yourself, hime! She's the one who started it, and you know how sensitive I am about my species heritage. Yeah, I know I'm just a little hybrid, but hey! At least I helped around more than she does!_"

"It's the same thing, but fine! I'll let you off the hook this time."

"That reminds me," Gaara said suddenly, turning Kaguya's attention from her little desert fox hybrid to him in a matter of seconds, a ready smile on her lips. "Earlier, when I came over into your manor for dinner, Shukaku was put to sleep wasn't he?"

Kaguya smiled widely. "You knew about the charm too?" she said cheerfully, walking towards Gaara and standing close to him. "My mother taught me how to make that charm. Because Maia is a firebird, I couldn't actually sleep at night, not with Suna's fluctuating temperatures. There are reasons why I've never felt cold myself. Maia's flames kept me warm enough, and if Suna's temperature dropped suddenly, her flames and heat will go up by instinct and it could turn back to blue in seconds and…well…It's not really the type of fire you could just put out with sand and water."

"The charm only activates itself when I'm wearing it. Other people, even Gaara-sama yourself couldn't activate it. I have the blood of the Shiratoe clan from my mother's side of the family, and as such, I could use it as a medium to draw out the true strength of the charm," she explains further, smiling all the time with a small blush on her cheeks. "Its powers are quite astounding in itself, as it proves that the One-tailed Shukaku within Gaara-sama yourself is also put to sleep when you entered the manor's grounds, where I am sleeping at that moment."

"But your bijuu's awake," Gaara said. Noting Kaguya's confused looks, Gaara continued. "The maids were shouting that your rooms are on fire, and we rushed to the scene to see blue fires are burning all over your room, and yet at the same time, it's not hot, and it's not burning anything at all. Your bijuu, at that time, is flying above your sleeping form."

"Sometimes my charm fell out from my wrist somewhere during my sleep, which explains the fire and Maia escaping. She tried to wake me up because she sensed another waking Jinchuuruki nearby, and she was worried, that's all. I knew that Maia didn't like Shukaku, and I've worn the charm to dinner just so I could prevent them from arguing together. It would seem to me that their meeting is, after all, inevitable, and they've met again here…"

"I wouldn't regret coming here at all, Kaguya-hime, if that's what you're implying," Gaara said, feeling self-conscious suddenly with his unexpected visit at such an hour.

"I didn't regret seeing you again either, Kazekage-sama," Kaguya replied him with a soft smile on her blushing face.

"It's late," Gaara commented, trying to move on to another topic when he felt just how awkward the atmosphere had suddenly becomes but only realizes that his comment is about to sent him back to his manor. "You should go to sleep, hime. It'll be best if you take your rest earlier."

It has been a long time since he had talked this long with someone about something that is not entirely about politics. It made him feel better – great, even – and yet he knew she is stifling her tired yawns behind her hands once in a while, her eyes watered and her nose turned red from the result. _Cute_, he thought to himself.

"I couldn't sleep, remember?" Kaguya smiled awkwardly, having caught yawning into her palms. Not that it was embarrassing enough with her obvious yawning symptoms such as the watery eyes and the red nose. She didn't like the red nose, but she couldn't do anything about it since she inherited it from her mother.

"If you couldn't sleep, at least you could have taken a rest in your own chamber," Gaara suggested, taking in her now tired eyes as she struggled to keep herself awake. "You looked tired."

Stifling a yawn and smiling tiredly, Kaguya replied in a softer tone, implying her growing tiredness. "I would love to, but I'm afraid of falling asleep if I get too comfortable. I'll retire to bed as soon as I see the sun comes up. I feel much safer that time."

Gaara nodded his head in understanding. He knew what it was like, being insomnia and all. It was especially torturous for him the last time he fought with Naruto back at the Konoha village's Chuunin Exam. He felt tired, _dead_ tired if he was to tell the truth, and yet he couldn't sleep. There was Shukaku running rampage to be worried about, and then there was this nagging sensation in his mind that tells him he shouldn't sleep if he wanted to see Suna alive and well since his father, the only person who could reign in the Shukaku with his Gold Sand Jutsu, is dead.

The thought about his dead father made him draw a deep calming breath. Now that he's Kazekage himself, he knew what it was like to be his father. If he were in his father's shoes, having a son who appears to be unable to control the raging tailed beast within him and having the village on the other hand to protect, he would choose the village himself over his own son, no matter how much he loves him. It was something a leader was expected to sacrifice. The village comes first as a Kazekage, and as a father the family comes first. But his father happens to be the Kazekage and a father as well, and so, he made the ultimate sacrifice of killing his son for the sake of the village's safety.

Kaguya watched worriedly at the young Kazekage. That moment, Gaara looked lost, like the little boy she has met years ago on this very same rooftop. She wanted to reach a hand out to him, telling him that it's fine and that everything would be alright, but she isn't sure that making such a contact with the now Kazekage of the Suna would be proper. _What he would think of me then,_ thought Kaguya to herself as she imagined._ It would not be proper for me to touch him, as both of us is now people with a permanent status in Suna, and Suna is not quite the place I would make a scandal of myself. He would probably tell his sister, then his sister would probably tell his brother, and that Suna would talk about it all over, and he might be embarrassed from the news that he would probably cancel our would-be engagement and I would be stranded here in the Miyagusuku Manor for the rest of my life! Oh, what scandal!_

Shaking her head to clear herself out of all the thoughts she had imagined, Kaguya smiled and said to Gaara in a comforting tone, "I'll make you one, Gaara-sama."

Gaara turned and watched the young princess. Not entirely royalty, but her feudal aristocratic status gave her the power and wealth, enough for the world of Shinobi to recognize her as one of the little feudal princesses left. "It will allow you to actually sleep for once in a while, and I know you haven't actually been resting yourself, judging by the deep black eye bags around your eyes. I'll give it to you the next time you come and see me."

Before he could utter another word, the maid from earlier, Wakame – if his memory serves him right – came barging into the rooftop with a loud dramatic bang. Both of them jumped at the sound of her grand entrance.

"What is it, Wakame?" Kaguya asked, noting the maid's frantic looks and disheveled looks. It looks as if she has been chased by something worse than death.

"Intruders, Hime-sama!" Wakame said between sobs, trying to gain her breath back. "Intruders came to steal the Ipaashas! They've infiltrated the Garden!"


	7. Undiluted Confessions

**Chapter 7:**

**Undiluted Confessions  
**

Upon hearing about the intruder's attack, Gaara quickly speeds down towards the Ipaasha's Garden following the sound of chaos and swinging swords. The row of maids leaped out of his way as he speeds towards the garden, faraway towards the center of the Miyagusuku Manor. The sun shines in through a glass dome, forming a large, safe greenhouse for the plants and herbs planted here, knowing so as he recognized the whiff of scent passing through his nose as the same smell as the ones at the Kazekage's Manor and the Suna's Hospital's own greenhouse.

He momentarily remembers Kaguya shouting after him to "_Never enter the Garden without wearing at least a mask!", _but he appeared to have ignored her and continued charging onwards.

He finds himself at a much larger clearing when he arrives at the center of the Miyagusuku's Manor. This clearing was much brighter than all the others, and much more lavish looking, complete with a carved steel door inlaid with gems and sorts. He would have stopped to admire the designs and carvings were it not for the small crowd of maids who squeaked, recognizing him and parted ways for him to pass by. They reminded him of his quest to save the Ipaashas and catch the intruders.

The garden's door are closed tightly, and yet through the slightly stained windows of the doors, he could see silhouettes of armed men jumping around, and the telltale sound of pots crashing and chaos could be heard clearly from where he stood. Angered that such ignorant people are trashing what could be considered as Suna's treasured rare breed of flowers, he used his sand to aid him in the quest of ensnare the trespassers.

Obeying his command, Gaara used his mind to control the sand as it slithered underneath the garden's door. The sand rises up grandly and caught the intruders effectively entirely by surprise.

Once he is sure that they're wrapped in his inescapable sand jutsu, Gaara quickly scanned the area for any damages or extra invaders.

That is, when he caught sight of the little group of petrified maid servants.

He knew by Kaguya and the head of the Miyagusuku's maid servants that these intruders have been infiltrating the Miyagusuku's Ipaasha's Garden for the past days. He had previously observed quietly that this manor have all the alarms and sealing jutsus installed and pasted almost everywhere. Infiltrating the manor after so many alarms and sealing jutsus would be close to impossible.

Unless…

His scrutinizing gaze caught one particular maid's eyes. He knew that kind of eyes; calculating and observing. Compared to all the other terrified eyes, he knew that she was the one he's after.

Before he could launch in and attack, another loud clang brought his head snapping towards the direction of the garden. Using his sand, Gaara forced the large door open and gave chase. There was another garden door; a much smaller garden, complete with an intricately carved door. Strange looking, and yet at the same time, his all-knowing eyes caught sight of another intruder within the compound of the smaller garden. He could feel his anger bubbling within his blood as the intruder looked up from what he was doing, caught sight of the feared Sabaku no Gaara, and continued to trash around the garden, hurling pots after pots of full grown Ipaasha's towards the wall.

**It looks as if he knew you and ignored you, boy**; Shukaku chided Gaara, knowing that the redhead is ready to burst with anger. **You're not as fearsome as before, ya' know? **

_And you're not helping here, so shut up!_

His mind whirled in torrents of anger. How dare they destroy what Kaguya's protecting! How dare they destroy the one thing that Suna treasures! How dare they destroy the very flowers that Kaguya cares with her heart and soul day and night! Gaara's chakra seemed to seep out of his very being and covered his entire body as his anger slowly took over his emotions. He kept a steady reign over the chakra incase it overflowed, and at the same time he checked his anger to make sure that it didn't go overboard lest he destroyed the manor. With his sand, he burst the door open and charged in towards the intruder.

As if knowing that he would never be able to escape, the intruder continued to trash the pots around frantically even after the garden door is open, rushing to destroy everything in the treasured garden. With one particular huge wave of sand, Gaara took care of the intruder and avoided all the Ipaasha's plants. His control above the sand is so great that none of the plants were even grazed by his sand.

The Ipaasha's Garden's door burst forth opens with a loud and dramatic bang and in came a sweating and flushing Kaguya, having ran all the way from the rooftop to the garden without stopping to catch a breath. Her long thin robes billowed from the light breeze created by the forceful opening of the door and it made her looked quite the sight. In fact, Gaara thought she looked fantastic.

**Boy**, Shukaku said in a careful tone, **are you alright?**

_I'm fine, why? _

**You don't appear to be thinking in the right mind, ya' know?** Shukaku said carefully, starting to think that being inside his 'dog house' would be a very good idea right about…now.

_I'm good, so shut up,_ Gaara replied with a snap. Looking over at Kaguya, who rushed forward at him, another train of thought entered Gaara's mind and he casually imagined her throwing her arms around him and kissing him senseless, telling him that she adores him since they were young…

**Boy!** Shukaku nearly screamed at the sight of Gaara's inner thoughts running wild around his part of the territory in Gaara's mind. **What the- **Shukaku barely evaded another scene clip of an equally passionate Gaara kissing her back, his arms going lower and lower towards her-** NONONONONO! **Shukaku screamed, effectively running towards the safe side of the territory – his little dog house –** That was dangerous! This is not the time to be thinking such a thing! The little boy I know is not a pervert! He's a fully fledged innocent VIRGIN! You're definitely not fine! You've gone mad!**

When Kaguya finally arrived, Gaara is practically swishing the entrapped invader with his sand, a wide seductive smile on his handsome face.

"Kaguyaaa," Gaara said with a slight slur in his tone as one of his arm reached out towards her, his eyes growing hazy and his world seemed to tilt forward little by little. _And this scent,_ Gaara thought to himself. _It smelled so nice. Like sweets and perfumes and wood and…well, it's nice. I never thought that there would be something so worth smelling in this whole world…So nice… _"Kaguyaaa…"

"Oh no, Kazekage-sama," Kaguya said in a voice that sounded almost like a whine. "I've told you to never enter the inner garden! It's where all the matured Ipaashas are grown!" Kaguya's nightmares proven to be true when she found Gaara practically standing _inside _the compounds of the inner garden, where all the matured Ipaashas are kept and almost all of them – unharmed as they are – surrounded him. Gaara unconsciously stepped closer into the garden and gazes intently at a white and purple flower, wondering why the flower looked so familiar to him.

Gaara had lowered the intruder to the ground none too gently, earning a loud pained grunt from the masked man, who, apparently, is trying to resist the inviting scent of a full, undiluted scent of the rare desert flower, Ipaasha. He's practically sweating from trying to hold as much breath as he could to himself and not inhaling the Ipaasha's scent. Hell, even the maids servants stayed away from the garden lest they brought extra trouble for their young mistress again. Everybody knows that the medicines that are used to curb the intoxication are not made from herbs they could just pluck from the side of the road.

Walking forward towards her, Gaara placed both of his hands on Kaguya's shoulders and held her in place, ignoring her surprised looks. "You're the first person," Gaara said in an almost no-slur tone, his eyes serious when he looked deep into her wide set of eyes, surprised. "You are the very first girl ever that I've actually taken an interest in, enough to want to make you my bride. I couldn't help but to think that we've met before…you're so familiar to me in a way, yet I couldn't remember it…"

Kaguya smiled awkwardly at the young Kazekage, blushing with their close proximity. She has never been held by a man before in a close distance, let alone receiving the powerful gaze that he now gives her. "I love the compliment, Kazekage-sama, but this is really not the right timing-"

Gaara interjected her words with one finger on her lips, silencing her with a charming smile he never knew he was capable of doing until he saw her flushed further into a deeper set of red, her eyes darting all over the place and avoided his gaze like a deer caught in headlight. Leaning into her, Gaara whispered the rest of his sentence into her ear that had her balk with surprise, "I think I'm starting to more than like you…"

"Wakame!" Kaguya exclaimed, the little servant maid immediately appeared by her side, a terrified look on her face when she saw the young Kazekage turning paler as the minute passed by. "Wakame! Get yourself together! Inform Temari-dono and Kankurou-dono of what happened, and tell them to come over quickly!"

With a few frantic nods, Wakame dashed out of the Miyagusuku Manor and ran out into the streets, running towards the Kazekage's Manor.

Trying her best to pried herself away from Gaara, Kaguya held him with one arm while barking out orders anxiously, telling her servant maids to wear a mask and be quick with what they do inside the garden lest they too gets intoxicated. Gently, Kaguya lead the young Kazekage out of the inner garden, making good use of the little time he had until his vision and vertigo started to gets the better of him. Ipaasha's Intoxication Syndrom's manifestations come swiftly without the victim's realization. It could be too late if Kaguya were to take her actions slow. Better treat it while the signs are merely starting.

Gaara's flailing arm caught Kaguya's shoulders. Grabbing what his hand have come into contact with, Gaara unconsciously pulled Kaguya nearer to him, wanting to see properly the face of the person holding him through his swirling vision. He felt his world tilt and turn and twist in a sickly way that he could feel bile trying to fight its way out of his throat. Swallowing audibly, Gaara panted and glared unknowingly at Kaguya, frustrated with his failing vision.

"Kazekage-sama?" Kaguya said softly, one of her hand touching his cheek gently to coax him to look at her in the eyes, guiding him with her voice. "Kazekage-sama? Gaara-sama? Can you hear me? It's me, Kaguya."

When he finally did moved his eyes from looking everywhere into focusing towards her voice, Kaguya recognized the early symptoms of Ipaasha's Intoxication Syndrome settling onto him slowly, beginning from his slow response to verbal commands, vision response to both people and light and wobbly movements. The clock had started to tick, and time is slipping right out of Kaguya's grasp.

Worried that he might just lose his mind, Kaguya patted his cheek as roughly as she could bear. "Gaara-sama," Kaguya called again in a louder tone, getting his attention. "Gaara-sama, let's get you out of here alright. You can't stay here any longer. You'll need medication, and quick."

As if on cue, Gaara came crashing down when his leg caught on a broken pot. His hand immediately went to his head as his vision swam right in front of his eyes, willing his world to stop tilting any further.

"Gaara-sama, come on, there's not much time left. If you could just stand up…"

Just as Kaguya despaired over her frail minimal energy at being unable to support Gaara, a pair of strong arms came from behind her and lifted Gaara up with ease, throwing the young Kazekage's nearly limp form over his shoulder as if he weighed no more than a sack of potatoes. Surprised, Kaguya stared as Spade, with his now transformed human form, smiling widely down at her.

"Hime," Spade, now Senri, said cheerily with a wide smile on his face. "You can leave the rough job to me. It's my duty to protect and help you, remember?"

**Near 1 a.m at the Miyagusuku Manor…**

Both Temari and Kankurou froze upon hearing what Wakame had told them. Immediately, they rushed from the Kazekage's Manor and went over towards Kaguya's place. The old head servant, Baba Yaga, brought the two Suna Siblings towards Kaguya's chamber. Both noted about the strange sudden eeriness of the manor, and they prayed for the better as the slide the door open and entered.

They were greeted with the sight of a tired Kaguya trying to coax a flailing Gaara to sit quietly. It was nothing like they have ever seen, and they have certainly never seen Gaara behaves as such.

Gaara had Kaguya practically kneeling on his lap while he sat there cross legged, one arm circling around Kaguya's waist possessively while the other pushed her hand holding the wet cloth away from his face. It had them so surprised to the degree that their jaws are hung wide open and appeared frozen permanently to the very ground they stood.

"Gaara-sama, if you would just listen to me-" Kaguya started, but her mouth is clamped shut with Gaara's flailing arm, covering her mouth neatly with his hand despite him being wobbly.

"No! Don't want another wet cloth! I don't like it!" Gaara, to his sibling's surprise, wailed.

Gaara, their ever so once-upon-a-time-deathly-scary-but-turned-good little brother, Gaara, is sitting there on a thickly laid out futon and avoiding Kaguya's advances on the wet clothes like a little child avoiding being fed bitter medicines. He wailed, of all things, _wailed!_ Of all the things they could have seen, they've seen a side of Gaara that they're not sure they wanted it to happen ever again.

"Gaara-sama-" Kaguya started with a gentle, patient voice, but the young redhead interjected her with a loud and firm "No!" as he tried to avoid the advancing wet cloth with his head turned as far away from Kaguya as possible.

"It's supposed to clear your visions," Kaguya explained, managing to move the wet cloth over to his burning forehead. "You'll feel better afterwards, I promise-"

"No! And no to you too, Shukaku! Shut up! You're making my head ache!"

"Gaara-sama, this'll help you a lot. I'm not lying-"

"It's cold! I don't want it!"

Temari is the first one to recover from the initial shock of seeing her brother behaving in such a way. Blinking her eyes a few times to wake herself up, Temari nudged Kankurou's ribs as hard as she could and he yelped, announcing their arrival to the princess.

Kaguya looked up from Gaara and saw Temari and Kankurou standing near the sliding door to her chamber. Smiling gratefully, Kaguya were about to say something when Gaara locked one arm around her head and pulled her in for a kiss while his other hand effectively thrown the cloth away from her hand.

When Kankurou remarked upon the scene with a, "Now that was quick…" with one of his eyebrow raised, Temari gasped in a scandalous way and quickly moved forward to pull Gaara's arms off of Kaguya with Kankurou. It didn't help much that Gaara's arms were so much stronger with the Sand Shield continuing to protect him from unwanted assaults, preventing Temari from just trying to pry his arms loose, much less from Kaguya herself, who keeps on hitting Gaara's back pathetically in an effort to loosen his hold on her.

Kaguya had no idea that looking into his eyes with him forcing a kiss on her would be so awkward. On top of that, with the Ipaasha's Intoxication Syndrome still upon him, he would never realize that what he is doing is not quite right. He could no longer differentiate between right or wrong and black or white. All he knew is his particular fondness for anyone he ever had and sticks to that person. For all Kaguya knows, any moment now he would let her go and lets out a full blown serenade.

_If he likes me enough to begin that, that is,_ thought Kaguya as she battles with Gaara hopelessly, flushing all the way to the roots of her hair when he skillfully moved his lips over hers again and again.

She hoped dearly that the serenade wouldn't happen. It would be so much more embarrassing with the Suna Siblings here. Moreover, she had initially thought that the young Kazekage didn't like her that much to begin to kiss her this hard. _And his tongue,_ Kaguya thought to herself. _Gosh!_ Kaguya squeaked inwardly and squeezed her eyes shut to avoid looking into his eyes boldly when she felt his tongue sweeping her lips pleadingly. She didn't know what to do when she felt his tongue sweeping her lips more fervently. It felt so strange and kinda nice at the same time. Gaara pressed his tongue against her lips and she parted her lips slightly, half wondering what he wanted her to do about it, only for him to immediately invade her mouth forcefully with his tongue and started to stroke her tongue sensually with his, surprising her from the inside out. That was when she thought that it was a kiss she receives from a devil himself.

With a loud 'HIYAAA!' from Kankurou and Temari, both of them managed to subdue Gaara's shield sand and aimed for their brother's arms, prying both of his arms from holding onto Kaguya's neck and waist and keep his arms down to prevent him from reaching out towards her again. By that time, the young princess of the Miyagusuku clan have glowed a wonderful shade of red from top to toe, holding her mouth with a shocked expression on her face.

Now that both siblings have Gaara under control, they took in the surroundings of Kaguya's chamber and noted that everything is in disarray. They could only imagine how Kaguya had actually tried her best to get close enough to Gaara with the wet cloth _and_ holding their little brother off for God knows how long at the same time, and with their unexpected entry, it had served as a wonderful distraction for her to look away from Gaara for less than a second and he had seized it – like the shinobi he is – and crushed her to him in a scorching kiss. Deep down, Temari actually felt sorry for the young princess, but hey! The Wind Mistress thought on the bright side. _Gaara's going to marry her and she's marrying him anyway! The kiss's bound to happen sooner or later, then why not now? Haha!_

The wind mistress realizes that her own train of thought is wicked and dark and full of thoughts and things that are unsympathetic towards the princess. She stopped thinking and focused in keeping Gaara's arm strained afterwards and allowed herself no more than another train of undiluted and clean thought.

"Please, Temari-dono," Kaguya, despite her trying to gather her wits together, said in a shaken voice and to the eldest of the Suna Siblings, a pleading look on her tomato red face. "I will explain everything afterwards, but first, could you please try your best to at least cool him down? He's getting warmer, and when he gets warmer, he'll get bolder and he'll lose his logical thoughts the longer he is left in such condition. It'll at least slow down the process of the toxic. I'm not strong enough and I couldn't stop his arms from…err…" when her eyes caught Kankurou's, she blushed another shade of red and continued in a small voice, "-doing…err…I mean…err…I'm afraid that I won't be able to finish preparing the antidote in time either."

"Let me guess. He touched you somewhere no man has ever touched you before?" Kankurou's own unfiltered thoughts came straining through his unguarded mouth and joined the conversation.

He didn't even realize his sister's death glares that could actually _kill him_ for good started to flare up beside him as he busy himself with staring at the little shy princess's reaction, who seemed to redden up to another dangerous degree of red. His wide painted lips smiled gleeful at the new information.

"So my lil' brother's a man now, ain't he!" Kankurou's gleeful tone piped up loudly, laughing in a shameless tone at the princess, seemingly appeared oblivious to his sister fishing out her wide set of iron fan from her obi. "Where did he touch? The breast or the-"

With a loud 'WHACK' that could have possibly killed a normal man; Temari swung her iron fan with one hand and mercilessly walloped her brother, ignoring Kaguya's squeak of surprise.

"One more word," Temari said, one finger held up in front of Kankurou's face, "-and I'll seriously considering putting you out of your miserable life, Kankurou," Temari continued in the most dangerous tone she could ever summon in her angered state, ashamed with her brother's behavior and uncontrolled dirty mouth. When Kankurou kept quiet obediently with actual tears swimming in his eyes, Temari smiled evilly at him and turned towards the poor princess.

"Is there anything else, Kaguya-hime?" Temari asked kindly with a nod, taking the wet cloth from Kaguya's hand. When Kaguya shakes her head, Temari gave her another nod and went on to her task. She understands what it was that she fears. The poor princess has never been touched by a man, much less kissing one as hot as her brother. She smiled understandingly, appearing amusing even when she thought about just what Gaara had done with his wandering hand when he is left alone with Kaguya…

"Shukaku," Kaguya started by facing Gaara, beginning the first of her task. "I know you can hear me, and if you do, I would like you to make an effort and stop erecting the sand barriers for a while. If you heard me, please let me know by giving me a signal of some sort so that I can know that you understand me."

**But it's not me;** Shukaku's voice came through her mind gruffly. Kaguya could sense that Shukaku itself is tired, probably from Gaara's mind running berserk from the effects of the Ipaasha's scent. **Yeah, sometimes I did it, I admit that, but most of the time the sand he carry around with him seemed to have a mind of their own as well. It scares me sometimes. But I'll try.**

"It's alright. Thank you," Kaguya whispered, giving the tailed beast her thanks and rushed around, opening jar after jar of herbs and piling them on top of a small worktable that she had probably asked her servant maids to carry it into her chamber, which Temari thought that it is very thoughtful of her to be doing so.

The Kazekage is an important figure to the village. He – or sometimes a she, but so far all of them has been a he – acts as a symbol of power to the village, leading and guiding the people, supporting and directing as the most powerful shinobi in the village. If words got out about the Kazekage being subdued by the mere intoxication of both the pollens and the fragrance of the Ipaashas, the village would be put into a fragile position, as other villages would come in and attack in the absence of the Kazekage.

Placing every herb that she has gathered into a small black pestle made of stone, she pounded the herbs with an equally black mortar and placed the pounded ingredient into a small glass pot filled with boiling water. The chamber is soon filled with a wonderful soothing herbal scent.

Pouring the boiled herbs into a small vial, Kaguya motioned for Kankurou to help her tilt Gaara's head backwards. After making sure that the vial of herbal essence is no longer boiling hot, Kaguya tilted the whole content of the vial into Gaara's mouth slowly, watching as he swallowed the liquids gulp by gulp.

Everyone watched as Gaara let out a loud groan of distress, one hand flying to his head and appearing as if he is trying to steady himself.

"Are you feeling better now, Gaara-sama?" Kaguya asks the young Kazekage with her eyes wide with anticipation.

"Much better from running my hands all over you without your permission," Gaara said as Temari raised her eyebrows at that comment, surprised with the truth that Gaara blurted out suddenly. With his eyes closed tight and appearing much in pain, Gaara continued to reveal one affirmation to all the things that have happened before his siblings' arrival, solving all the questions that have risen within both Temari's and Kankurou's mind. Kaguya wanted very much to slap her hand to her forehead and dig a hole to hide her in it forever in shame.

"I'm terribly sorry about that. I've never done that to anybody before. It's very nice – not that your figure's not top notch, and not that I've touched anybody else when I said that–" Kankurou raised his eyebrows. "–but I realize within myself that everything is done without my being sober and you being willing but that you're unable to defend yourself against me when I groped your wonderful set of breast and ass, not to mention that you've suddenly become the one girl that I wanted to have by my side and in my bed no matter what–" Temari could feel her jaw dropping loose from her skull. "–and the truth that your voice suddenly sounded so cute and sexy that I wondered how I could make you scream my name in bed when we really got married…"

By this stage, Temari started to feel herself going faint, a possibility that she is hyperventilating with the drastic truth about her quiet little brother. Kaguya, upon seeing this, fetched another one of her many sets of vials and thrust it underneath Temari's nose, relieved when she sobered up and breathed deeply to calm herself. Kaguya explained to Temari in simple quiet words that what Gaara blurt out is the undiluted words from his mind as he is still partially affected by the Ipaasha. Temari gulped as she braced herself for more of Gaara's confession, and it doesn't help that Gaara continued to blurt unknowingly as everyone's ears opened to listen to him blurt one thing after another. "–and I think that maybe we should skip the engagement and go straight for the wedding to try all those things out. Now that I finally understood why the councilmen have kept pestering me about marriage and getting myself a bride since they already done it plenty of times themselves, somehow daringly doing it in the store room at the office loudly with some passing maids to make me feel like doing all of those sex things with a girl in bed and finally getting myself a bride, but I can't since it'll create troubles and unpleasant scandals for the line of Kazekage's family and I don't really want to do it with anyone else but you after today and I planned to do it after we got married and truthfully, I wanted to do it very much with you right now and screw all the rules but I can't since I'm the Kazekage and I had a reputation to keep. Then I nearly forgot about it, but I suddenly recalled that I have to tell you that this headache I'm feeling right now is starting to get really bad and my vision swimming around is really starting to kill me."

Finally, Gaara stopped blurting, remaining unknowing of the fact that his siblings are just right beside him and after hearing his long line of brave undiluted adult confession, both of their jaws dropped to the ground silently and stared at their little Kazekage brother, viewing him in a new, different light. Temari couldn't help but to agree with Kankurou that their little brother is truly becoming a man right now. She never knew his thoughts seeing as he never talked about them and she never plucked enough courage to ask him about what he felt about 'the talk', but then everything accelerated to a degree that it's no longer 'the talk' that she's going to worry about right now, and it's all the statement about what he had just said that made her feel rather concerned with Kaguya remaining 'un-pregnant' and her virtues protected for a long while before the marriage.

_Maybe it's a good idea that they skip the engagement…_thought Temari.

As Kaguya blushes another shade of red and trying to ignore the looks that both siblings are giving her to prevent more embarrassment, she turned around and searched in a small wooden box filled with bottles and vials and ampoules. Fishing out a transparent little vial filled with brown powder, Kaguya uncorked the glass vial and placed it under Gaara's nose. He took it as his cue to breathe in, and when he did, he finds himself chocking back uncomfortable groans as his nose seemed to burn up from breathing in the vial of powder.

"It stings, yes," Kaguya smiled apologetically, knowing how it must have hurt and burned. "But it's a very good instant cure against vertigo and headache. You'll find yourself no longer in a situation wherein you might have to crack your skull to relieve the pain."

"What is that?" Temari asks from beside Gaara, staring with shock at the little glass vial that Kaguya is holding. The effect that it had generated is certainly unexpected, seeing as her little brother actually bended over the chair and holding onto his nose in pain.

"This?" Kaguya held up the vial. When Temari gave a nod, Kaguya explained. "It's actually powdered tips of a cactus's thorn. The stings are quite rewarding, actually, you'll be finding your sense of smell heightened later on, Gaara-sama."

When Gaara continued to groan painfully, Temari patted Gaara's back and sighed in relief. "Well, at least you're back."

"And I guessed that both of you heard what I have said just now…" Gaara grunted painfully while holding onto his nose, his ears starting to redden in shame.

"You bet we heard all of 'em alright…" Kankurou said sulkily, not expecting that Gaara didn't get a good scolding from Temari for doing and thinking everything that a man dreams to do to his to-be-fiancee…


	8. A Promise In A Dream

**Chapter 8**

**A Promise in a Dream**

When everything has settled, the three Suna Siblings are lead to another hall, where refreshments are served on the table elegantly. That is where Kaguya started to explain everything.

"The attacks from the intruders are getting more and more bold with each passing days," Kaguya said, her sad eyes casted downwards on her teacup. "It started almost a month ago. Just like I said, they come and destroy whatever they can with an astounding speed and gone before the effects of the flowers could settle upon them. There is simply no time at all to identify them, only that they dressed in complete black."

"Then it happened again just a while ago," Kaguya lifted her cup and stroked the smooth carvings by the side of the teacup softly. "Kazekage-sama attacked the intruders coming into the inner Ipaasha's Garden, where all the matured Ipaasha's are kept and cared," Kaguya sighed, sipping onto her tea, appearing more tired than ever. "There is a good reason why I'm the only one who could enter here. Even with a safe protective layer of mask covering the face, the Ipaasha's could still intoxicate people with their pollens. Every inch of a matured Ipaasha flower is something that normal people could not be left alone with. The consequences called out of such situations could be dire."

"Did you know who the culprit is?" Temari asked, her finger tapping on the dining wooden table. Her mind had started to list out possible enemies of the Miyagusuku, but she wanted to know from the Feudal Princess's words if she had any inkling on who's pulling the strings behind the shadows regarding the attacks.

The princess glanced at Temari and shakes her head sadly. "I have not ventured out of the manor since as long as I can remember. The people only know me as the apothecary, and occasionally I practiced the family's Kabuki arts. I know for so far I have never earned anyone's wrath or annoyance but good graces. All I do is healing people."

"Maybe you've healed somebody's enemy-" Kankurou started, but quickly falls quiet when he realizes that his mouth had slipped again into something negative. He didn't want another embarrassing scolding from Temari again in front of his possible future sister-in-law.

Kaguya, however, lifted her head in speculation about Kankurou's question. "Regarding Kankurou-dono's inquiry," Kaguya started, falling deep into thought. "No one has ever come up to me personally and stop me from healing anyone. If such a person ever existed, he would have killed me instead of trying to destroy the Ipaasha's, or instead, he could have taken over the Ipaasha's Garden. I am told that it is very valuable if you know the right man to sell it to."

"I've thought so," Temari said, still deep in thought with the telltale frown on her forehead. "Earlier, you have said that all of this started almost a month ago, correct?"

Kaguya nodded her head. "Yes, it is," Kaguya said while her voice carries a slight slur to it. Gaara noticed this, and he kept a watchful eye on her out of concern.

"And it is also almost a month ago, a meeting is held to decide whether or not the seat for the Head of the Councilmen is to remain empty," Temari said, the sudden idea clicking in when she glanced at her brother's almost emotionless expression. "As traditions dictates, the seat rightfully belongs to the Miyagusuku clan, more so to the head of the family. Last I checked, the seat is to remain empty until-"

"The end of this week."

Everyone turned their heads towards Gaara. "The seat is to remain empty until the rightful heir ascending upon the position. Until then, that seat is not open to any of the councilmen. If the rightful heir is absence until the end of this week, the seat will hereafter be open to all." Lifting his gaze, he fixes his eyes upon Kaguya's glassy orbs and continued, "They wanted to prevent the rightful person from rising up as another Head of the Council. I presume you would be able to decipher the reason behind all of these attacks yourself, Hime…"

"If I were to stay here and remain absent to all at the council until the end of this week," Kaguya elaborates, one of her hand raised up to rest on the table. "-then the seat will henceforth be open to all other clans regardless whether they are of a Miyagusuku bloodline or not."

Gaara nodded his head once. "Precisely. These attacks were undeniably planned amongst the councilmen, and it serves as a warning for you to stay away from the meetings this week. They are meant to scare you so that you will not attend the meeting within this week's time, and if we were to interpret the attacks in a way, they would want you to be busy enough so that you will not have time to come for the meeting. Not many people know about this, and I presume that the letter about the open seat of the Head of Council has not arrived to you yet. They did not wish for you to learn about it."

"I would have attended it, but I myself am trapped in this manor…"

"Regarding that matter, I will help you find a way to break the seal enslaving you to this manor's very ground." Gaara sensed some unpleasant teasing stares from beside him, and he glanced both ways only to find his siblings gave him teasing crooked smiles. He realizes his mistakes too late, and he resisted the urge to clear his throat in order to look innocent. "I mean, _we_."

"Nah," Kankurou piped up from beside him, a new surge of bravado surged through him at Gaara's first sign of mistake. "You can do it yourself. Not that we're inclined to take all the glory of helping the princess. I'm sure you'll do a fine job saving the day, brother."

"For once, I agree with Kankurou," Temari started, her gaze fixated towards Kankurou in a foxy grin while her head inclined towards Gaara. Gaara knew that tilt of hers; it means that she has found something worth teasing about Gaara. He groaned inwardly. "I guess I'll just have to step aside. I have a good feeling that everything will end well without our interventions."

A loud 'thonk' sounded in the room and everyone snapped their heads towards the source of the sound. One of Kaguya's arms lay spread out upon the table, and her head is now resting at the junction where her elbow begins with her eyes closed.

"Kaguya-hime?" Temari gently called, finding it strange with the sudden silence from the Feudal Princess. All three siblings looked at each other with questions in their eyes.

Temari moved closer to Kaguya and tried to shake out a response from her by touching her gently on the shoulders. When there's no response, Temari called once again, "Kaguya-hime?"

She heard a sigh from the princess, and that is when the eldest Sand Siblings realized that the princess is actually sighing in her sleep, appearing fast asleep in a deep slumber.

"She-" Temari started with her eyes wide in surprise. "She fell asleep!"

Never before had Temari encountered someone who fell asleep halfway in mid sentence. Sure, she'd heard people talk about it a few times about the possibilities of someone sleeping in mid sentence out of exhaustion, but she finds it absurd to believe and sure that it is just empty talk. Now that she thought about it, the way Kaguya talked and fell asleep is akin to someone passing out, and is genuinely worried for the young princess until she heard her deep even breath, signs that she is in a deep sleep.

"It can't be helped," Gaara said, standing up slowly from his seat and walking towards where Kaguya had slumbered off on the table, her long hair sprawled behind her in a dark river. Somehow, he had known something like this would happen. "It's been a long night. She's tired."

"Ya know, lil bro," Kankurou started, his smile hard and wide while his eyes stared thoroughly at Gaara in a way that screams "This is creepy man! Stop it! I've never seen you do it before, so stop it! It's creepy!" He continued when Gaara ignored him, and in their family, when they're ignored by their family member when they're talking, that means they could continue to talk without any harm befalling them. "It's weird seeing you all gentle and…well…can I apply the word kind to you too? It's so weird. I've never seen you act like this around us even after you finally stopped murdering every brute on the street-"

"Kankurou!" Temari hissed, her eyes burning into his warningly. "Watch your tongue, young man!"

But Kankurou – for once – ignored his sister's warning and continued bravely, his new found adrenaline in talking with his brother brought a kind of feeling in him that had him wanting to talk more with his brother. He liked to talk with his brother – it gave him immeasurable insight in what kind of a person Gaara would turn out to be had he not been treated like the monster he held within his very body. He knew he should have reached out for his little brother years ago when he is lost and fragile and less murderous. Now that they have established a reconnection of sibling's rapport, he swore to keep the bond going stronger. If there is any chance he could talk with Gaara, Kankurou would be the first to seize the chance.

Secretly, to him, Gaara is the best little brother anyone could ever have.

"You really like her, don't you, Gaara?" Kankurou said, his eyes watching intently at the way Gaara looked at the girl – now cradled in his arms – slumbering deeply quietly, exhausted with the day's ordeal. He noticed that there is this strange crooked curled lips formation that Gaara would make every time he sets his eyes on the Miyagusuku girl. If he didn't know better himself, he'd say that Gaara's gone into some form of fit. But no, he knows better. That strange, sometimes funny crooked curled lip of Gaara is actually him attempting to smile.

Gaara's eyes flitted momentarily to Kankurou's. The young Kazekage gave no answer to neither of his siblings. He merely walked out of the room and unwittingly, right at that moment when he turned towards the side of the corridor, Kankurou's eyes caught sight of Gaara's red flaming ears.

Kankurou's smile widened to a frightening degree of madness. That pair of flaming red ears meant 'yes'.

….

Gaara was quick to leave his siblings. He couldn't stand another moment of teasing from Kankurou. Gosh, he swears, his brother has mind reading abilities. He didn't expect that his attempt to smile at her in an inconspicuous way would prove to be futile around Kankurou. Bless his painted eyes for being able to read him so easily. Blood runs thicker than water? Maybe those sayings are true after all.

With his sand, the shoji doors to what he remembered is Kaguya's room slides open and he entered with her.

He had seen Kaguya's room recently in a moment of panic when the maids reported that there was a fire blazing in her room earlier. He knew it is full of charms and sealing yellow talisman papers, and he had a vague idea of what her room actually looks like if he takes a moment to observe them.

Settling her down, he covered her gently with the blanket and started to look around when his curiosity took over him.

Her room is a magnificent four-walled talismans and charm-filled chamber. There were all kinds of charms; rainbow colored glass wind chimes, crystal balls, and yellow talisman with the word "Fuuin" written in red and gold paint, even the little white weather guardian doll is included, all ranging from the color of red, a significant shade of the Fire Element. It is an impressive sight to behold.

Then a thought struck him. He remembered that Kaguya had said she wore her little charm pouch to sleep, and his eyes started to search for anything that could well resemble the little said charm pouch that Kaguya promised she would make him one the next time he came to see her.

Then he saw it. He had a feeling that it is the pouch, and he could feel from within him that Shukaku is drawn to it like a moth drawn to the light bulb. The fact that it lays on the top right side of Kaguya's futon in a blatantly obvious way helped a lot.

Gently, he slides the thin red ribbon into Kaguya's delicate wrist and tied it up in a neat bow. Holding her hand as she sleeps, he marveled at the daintiness of Kaguya's hand and wrist. They were so thin and fragile in his large hands, and the sheer size of his hand dwarfed hers. Not to mention that her hand fits into his perfectly, just as if her hand is made for him, like a two piece puzzle.

True, he had never thought about a possible partner to spend the rest of his life with. He had never even thought about matrimony, or as they liked to call it, a wedding of his own. The very thought of having a lover, a wife, someone to love him never even passed in his head after that fateful night when he transformed into a monster he shudders to think about until today. Or rather, he mused with the idea that even if he ever think about marrying someone and having a wife by his side, he imagines that very woman would be someone strong and independent, capable of helping themselves when the time comes and not just some frail weak little girl. His lips curled at the edge of his mouth when he looked down at his very thought, a delicate young princess lying on the futon, perfect as a porcelain doll. How ironic.

As if in instinct, Gaara lifted Kaguya's hand to his lips and gently brushed a kiss on the back of her hand, savoring the smooth skin under his lips, allowing his mouth to linger on her hand a little while longer. How he had grown fond of this girl in almost a single night is beyond him, and now, all he knows is that he wanted her by his side as his wife, if what they say about partners for life is true.

There was a strange ringing sound that slowly grew louder with each passing second. He noticed it the moment it started to rang, exactly right after he had put on the little charm pouch on Kaguya's wrist. He brushed it off as something insignificant, but Gaara grew frantic when the noise did not cease to spread its sound around the room, as if to cover the room's occupants in a sphere of protective shield. The sound was akin to fingers rubbing on a fine wine glass's rim, its wave of sound vibrating around the room.

**Don't worry, kiddo,** said Shukaku from within Gaara, hopping back to its dog-like house in a strangely leisure way. **It's just the kinda sound that draws us into sleeping mode, like those bells you people sounded during morning, noon and night time. Like an alarm system, nothing to worry about. Bye! Goodnight!**

And in a strange sudden moment, the sound ceased to ring and complete silence settled over the two individuals in Kaguya's room. Amazingly, even when he called out to Shukaku in his mind, the beast did not rouse or answered any of his calls, as if it is never there to begin with. His thumb rubbed the little pouch in an appreciative way. How he had longed to sleep in such a long while.

He didn't want to leave her here alone, and yet he couldn't stay. He had a meeting early in the morning the next day with the council, and he planned to tell them about his decision about taking Kaguya as his bride, thus stopping them from mailing proposals of bride candidates to his manor. Every day, he threw stacks of them into the bin, and by the end of the week the largest rubbish bin is chucked full of the stupid brown file. He knew, deep down, even with the Eight-Tailed Phoenix currently slumbering away with Kaguya in tow, he knew that the bijuu would protect Kaguya. He knew that she is safe, and he knew he needed to go now before-

"Gaara," Temari called from outside the screen, just as he thought she would. "We have to go now."

Earlier, when he entered Kaguya's room, he takes great note in keeping the door slightly open, leaving just a little extra small space for peeping. He knew that both of them had a reputation to uphold, and he wanted both of their reputation to remain clean for the marriage proposal to work. He knew the council would receive no less than a noble lady as his bride with a superb clean background. He wanted Kaguya, and for that he would strive to keep everything clean.

"A minute," Gaara replied simply, and he heard the retreating footsteps of his sister gradually leaving the corridors of Kaguya's chamber.

Once again, he raised her hand and kissed the back of her hand in a way he had never done before until today. He wanted to kiss her forehead, but even with his status as the Kazekage, he is worried that rumors of something more than a kiss on her forehead would spread outside of the manor. Lucky him, when he is under the influence of the Ipaasha's intoxicating scent, Kaguya had made sure that they are kept a distance away from the prying eyes of any maids.

Well, other than his own siblings he guessed.

Brushing her bangs away from her forehead, he whispered in a soft voice before he left her chamber, "I deeply regret that I cannot remember you, but I swear I will make things better in the future. I will get you out of this manor."


	9. Mood Swings

**Chapter 9**

**Mood Swings**

"Gaara! Kankurou!" Temari called out loudly towards the stairs in her dark blue apron complete with the Suna's emblem printed out in front of it, her voice echoed upwards to the second floor where each of their chambers are sited. "Breakfast is ready! Come and get them" When she strained her ears to listen for a reply, she heard a groaning sound and soon after that, the sound of water from the shower hitting on the tiled floors of the bathroom nearest to the stairs echoed back as an answer. She smiled, knowing it was Gaara's way of telling her that he's getting ready right now and is currently taking a shower.

Kankurou's wing of the manor, on the other hand, generated plenty of awkward noises of someone trying to keep quiet but failed to do so when his dolls dropped down one by one like a bowling pin. Temari heard a series of mumblings, knowing that her other brother is saying something bad about her again, catching something about "So loud…" and "Stupid breakfast…" Rolling her eyes, she resumed with brewing coffee for Gaara and taking Kankurou's comment as a coherent explanation from a mongrel's mutterings.

The Kazekage's Manor is large and spacious enough that even heels on tiled floors can cause a series of echoes to resonance throughout the whole manor. There is just no escaping the annoying echoes, unless one installs a complete sound-proof padding's on the walls of one's bedroom within the manor.

Temari hummed to herself happily, sitting down and pouring herself a cup of tea. She thought about last night's dinner and the insistent chatters from Kankurou that Gaara admitted that he liked Kaguya by translating his respond entirely from a pair of 'flaming red ears' and smiled to herself. Kaguya is definitely going to be her sister-in-law by marrying Gaara. Oh, how she had _longed _for a sister. Living her whole life with two brothers is finally taking its toll on her. A female companion would be nice for a change.

Gaara's stomach gave out a loud hungry growl halfway through his morning shower, and right after he exited from the shower stall, he headed straight for the kitchen in nothing but his long pants. After a whole day of wearing formal Kazekage attire, he couldn't bother himself with slapping on a shirt when he is in the manor. Then he thought about Kaguya and how he is going to marry her in the shortest amount of time. He would have to change his habits of not wearing a shirt. He attempted to smile by twitching the side of his lips at the new strange thought. He wouldn't want to frighten his new bride.

The sight of Temari drinking tea reminded him of the first time he showed up at the kitchen in his pants, shirtless. Temari had sat there in the kitchen's counter with a slight blush and a shocked expression on her face, her glass of tea nearly slipping out of her grasp when her muscles relaxed. She recovered soon after with a comment on his new abs and when he had gotten them. Gaara nearly smiled at the memory. His sister had never seen him without his shirt on, and reacted like a stranger instead. Taking a deep breath, his mouth started to water at the scent of fried omelets, black coffee and toast. For once, Temari's cooking smells rather mouthwatering instead of their signature black and burned toast.

**Mmm...**Shukaku piped up inwardly, stretching widely after a long good nap, thanks to Kaguya's charm pouch.** Smells great! What's for breakfast? Haha! I bet you to release me and let me roam freely for 10 hours that that bride-to-be of yours dropped some brain-improving-food into the food of that sister of yours yesterday or else you would have had roasted black toast again today.**

_Will you shut that mouth of yours? _Gaara snapped, feeling rather agitated all of a sudden. _It's still early and you're starting to get on my nerves._

Despite being surprised by Gaara's sudden demeanor, Shukaku continued in a nonchalant way.** Well, **the beast started, albeit a bit slowly and cautious.** I have the freedom to talk since you've taken away my freedom to move-**

_It's your fault that you ended up sealed in a teapot and years later within me by Chiyo after you started a fight with Oraga Nakashimu. It's such a shame for a big beast like you to end up in a teakettle._

Shukaku's eye widened in disbelief at Gaara's biting remarks.** You...!**

_You what?_ Gaara retorted, rubbing his forehead. He could feel his heartbeat speeds up tensely in what he knew is anger. _You win? Yes, I know that. Now__**, shut up.**_

After Gaara had gained power as the Kazekage of Suna, he had conducted a few research on the origins of Ichibi no Shukaku, the one-tailed beast that remained with him even after the infiltration of Akatsuki into Suna. He verified all the information's about ancient shrines and myths in the Village Hidden in the Wind, and found out that Shukaku is actually the biggest coward in history. He ran away when he encountered Yamata no Orochi, and pathetically, only wins one out of all the fights he picked. Since then, whenever he wanted Shukaku to keep really quiet, Gaara would tease Shukaku to the brink of mortification, leaving the tailed beast feeling utterly shamed and keep quiet.

And now, just as he had speculated, Shukaku is well humiliated with his past spineless stories that he took flight and retreated quickly into his doghouse, curling up into an angry ball while he shuts Gaara out of his privacy. Gaara sighed in relief. Now he really wanted that charm pouch Kaguya promised him. He mentally reminded himself to visit her later.

Temari raised her voice again towards the stairs, and when she saw Gaara, she gave him a big smile and a nod towards the table. "Your breakfast's ready. Help yourself to the milk or juice. I've set them on the table already."

Nodding, Gaara went to the table with a new thought pondering in his ever working mind.

Seconds before his is in his usual pokerfaced, nonchalant self, thinking about the stacks after stacks of paperwork that he's required to do later on in the office. His personalities tend to reflect on his outward appearance; his stark flaming red hair and his white Kazekage's garb, both of such a different color and yet suits each other just fine. Everything about that day is going fine and with a good start, he sat down on the chair and lifted his fork.

That is, until his gaze landed on another fresh pile lying ever so innocently on top of the kitchen's counter. All thoughts about good day vanished. His secretary had taken the liberty to deliver it early in the morning, and had purposely put it on top of the kitchen's counter where he might not have missed seeing it, right when he's thinking of having a peaceful breakfast and be spared from thinking about work for a while, but no. He didn't have that luxury as Suna's Kazekage. An unpleasant thought about how it is so unfair in Suna when the Hokage in Konoha is able to enjoy gambling and sakes and be spared away from work all the time. He usually didn't care about it that much, and he'll dutifully finishes his piles after piles of paperwork throughout the day, and when he does, he'll take a few rounds around the village.

He didn't understand the feeling he's currently feeling either, but he sort of felt uneasy and there's this strange sudden inclination of wanting to meet Kaguya bubbling up in him. He liked to be in Kaguya's presence. It made him feel so contented and so calm, peaceful even. He liked that feeling compared to being cooped up in the office all day long with piles after piles of paper coming in nonstop. He's tired of the constant slow rhythm of his daily activities, and he would like some changes right about…now.

Just then, Temari's shrill voice echoed again at the stair case.

"Sabaku no Kankurou!" Temari started, frowning at the staircase. "If you don't come down by the time I finish my speech, I'm going to feed your breakfast to the dogs outside!"

Seconds later, Kankurou came down the stairs in one of his casual tees. He didn't feel the need to complete his attire this early in the morning, and planned to do so after breakfast. For a moment, Temari is struck by just how similar he is to Gaara and to their father when he's not smiling, as he is right now.

The second eldest of the Sabaku Siblings trudged down the stairs, his sulking aura in full swing. He still couldn't get over himself with the small fact that Temari beats him to the bathroom down the hall yesterday evening. He liked that bathroom down the hall, and like the ninja he is, he waited and waited and waited until he started to sulk. He hated it when Temari took so long in the bathroom. It was 3 hours after she went in the bathroom and came out looking the same as she does before she enters the bathroom.

"You're always counting on me to make your breakfast," Temari grumbled, hands planted on her hips. "Why didn't you start doing yours like I told you yesterday?"

Kankurou shrugged and pulled up a chair right in front of Gaara, whose face is now hidden behind the newspaper. Kankurou then proceed to pour himself a generous amount of orange juice and continued. "I'm not going to if you're going to make Gaara's."

Temari frowned. "Gaara's different. He stays cooped in his office all day long, and where are you when he needs you to run his errands or your advice?" Temari wriggled one of her eyebrows in question, hands now on both of her hips and glaring at Kankurou from the side of her eyes.

"Buzz off, Temari," Kankurou retorted lazily, draining his cup of orange juice in the process.

"It's a pain in the arse that I have to practically _beg _the maid and cleaners to wash your damn paint off the bowls and my third best silverware using one of the most expensive wash suds and polishes!"

"You could have given me the plastic ones..."

"No I'm not. They're not good for the environment, extremely wasteful and far worse and hard to wash off, smartass! They smell even worse in reality than in imagination…whatever did you put in them to make them smell in such ways…urgh!"

"OI!"

"From now on, it's that you are either going to use the disposable ones or the cheap ones. I don't care about any complains you might have, and I don't want to hear it! My silverware is worth more than your paints..."

"They're Kabuki paints, for goodness sake, not permanent marker! And they don't smell like what you have just said. That's so insulting!"

"It's your personal hygiene that I'm disgusted with. Don't you think the cleaners don't know about 'the' everything you're hiding underneath your bed? Face the truth, brother; they know it, and the smell? Urgh! They permeate the very walls you're living in and I daresay they smell worse than Suna's biggest dump sites!"

Kankurou's eyes widen and he fell dangerously silent. Slowly, his mouth turned down on one side in an ugly scowl as he trembled with anger so great that even without his Kabuki paints, his face grew tremendously terrifying. Even Temari had to admit it to herself that her brother does have his dangerous sides to poke. _Oh,_ Temari thought. _All the more fun to poke with then!_

"You..." he started in a low dangerous pitch. "You poke into my room?" Kankurou's voice rose to another dangerous pitch with each growing word.

Temari rolled her eyes. "I told you, the cleaners-

"The cleaners don't come into my room unless I ask them too! They know it because I told them to! It's evident that _you're_ the one snooping around rather than the cleaners! You're trespassing! It's against the Suna's Law! I'm going to make sure you go to jail for that!"

Again, Temari kept cool and calm, rolling her eyes and played along with this game. "And what evidence do you have that makes you think you have the _right _to make me _camp_ out in jail?" Temari huffed out unbelievably. "Unless you've forgotten, it's _Gaara _that has the _right _to send me there, and he didn't even intend to or want to send me _there_! Right Gaara!"

"No." Gaara flat out replied his sister from behind the newspaper.

Temari scoffed at Kankurou "See! He didn't eve-" Cue for Temari's eyes to widen in shock. "Wait- what?"

"I said no, that means I don't agree that I'm not going to send you to jail."

Temari stuttered a reply in shock, "Wai- But- I'm your sister-"

"As you have stated earlier, I, as the Kazekage have every right to send you to jail if I want to." Gaara lifted off the newspaper, which is now crinkled and crumpled under his grip the moment Kankurou and Temari's bickering started to push him to his patient's limit off his usually peaceful day. "And you're going there along with Kankurou if both of you don't shut up this instant."

There's no need for shut ups. Both Temari and Kankurou are too busy replying and openly gape at their brother.

"I don't think I'm understood here," Gaara said in a small audible voice, and when Gaara spoke in a small audible voice, it was always, always dangerous. Lifting his head to look up to his siblings, he asked with a glare, "Am I understood?"

Both of them nodded once slowly, too much in shock to speak.

Gaara nodded his head once, lowering his gaze and said, "Good."

Standing up, Gaara strode up slowly to the stairs and changed into his Kazekage's formal attire. Picking up his Kazekage's hat by the door's counter, he strode off to the front door and closed the door gently, which is entirely unlike his normal self, all the while the elder Sand Siblings stood rooted to the spot, all the while watching Gaara's every move with shock and the hint of fear in their eyes.

To the Sand siblings that stood frozen, they had just invoked a rather rare and dangerous wrath of Gaara's, which is the one that Gaara had demonstrated just now; Talking smoothly and softly instead of shouting curses and closing the door gently instead of a light slam. Anytime soon, Gaara's going to turn around, use his best desert jutsus and crush the Kazekage's manor into bits.

As per usual, Kankurou's the first one to crack the silence.

"Temari," Kankurou quacked. "I think we're going to see mom soon..."

Temari only stood there, her eyes fixed on the large grand entrance of the Kazekage's manor, awaiting for the whole dramatic effects of the door blasting off its hinges and fly across the room with a swipe of Gaara's powerful sand jutsus.

The sky stood clearly on such a day, the cool air from the night before still fresh and lingering. It was early, and he would have walked to work instead had his feet moved according to what his mind really thinks when he suddenly noticed that he's actually going to the direction where Kaguya's manor is.

**So, **Shukaku bravely started again.** I see you're off to somewhere that's not the meeting room today.**

_I'm out for a walk._

**Good for you then. Walk, don't waste my chakra. I'm tired of having to "carry" you using my own chakra.**

_No wonder you're so fat._

**...**

Gaara 110, Shukaku 59.

The morning street of Sunagakure is loud and noisy. To Gaara, the constant chattering and bargaining sounds over goods and trades between travelers, traders, buyers and sellers sounded exactly like flies buzzing over the decaying smell of leftover trash. He made a mental note to discuss the rate of hygiene and cleanliness of the village in the next meeting.

A loud commotion happened to pass by his ear and caught his attention. He made his way towards the commotion so as to not frighten the villagers with his appearance. After all, there are still _some _people that still tremble with his very presence, not to mention that an earlier encounter with a kid in the market during one of his patrol resurfaced unwanted memories. His thoughts popped like a bubble as soon as he hears someone yelling at the top of their lungs.

"THOSE WHO ARE SICK, LINE UP ON THE RIGHT SIDE, THOSE WHO ARE HERE FOR MEDICINE, LINE UP HERE AS USUAL!"

Blinking, Gaara's ears perked up instantly. It takes a while for Gaara to convince himself that what he had heard a moment ago is a man's voice yelling some 'sick' and 'medicine' and 'as usual', and some part of him rejected the idea that the place that the man choose to yell those medicinal words is right in front of the manor of a certain maiden that he had just met last night. Curiosity took over his patience; Gaara risked another look again towards the crows that everyone seemingly crowded around for probable-medicinal purposes, which is getting bigger as the moment goes by after the announcement.

The supposed man-that-yells-medicine is now standing in front of a long, long line, looking all giddy and happy. Gaara notice that he has the same shade of silver on Kaguya's likely companion, Spade, and his eyes is beady black – shining in fact. Even his steps – were those skipping his eyes just caught? Goodness… Overly excited perhaps?

Seemingly, the line is making quite a ruckus, and it doesn't seem that the noise is going to go down anytime sooner. One by one, the line that is full of sick people enters the manor through the now wide open doors of the Miyagusuku manor, with nobody but the silver-haired man there in front to take in the names of some soon to be patients. That is, until the silver-haired man seems to have a certain glint in his eyes when he spotted one old man covered in rags. Grinning widely, he skipped towards the old man.

That confirmed Gaara's sight. He really is skipping.

"Well sir," said the said silver-haired man, who has his arm over an old man's shoulder. "I can't help but to notice that ya' looks all nervous and stuff like that. In a rush are we?" Thought he appears to be whispering into his ear, Gaara uses his jutsus to focus on their subject of talking, listening clearly to their words and that mysterious silver-haired guy. The old man merely gasped in shock upon having the silver-haired guy's hand comes into contact with his frail shoulder in an audible 'bump' and looked up.

Grinning and wriggling his eyebrow, the silver-haired guy's ears suddenly perked up, look left and right suspiciously, and whispered into the old man's ear again. "If ya want a faster way to see our lady, it's not a problem, because I take charge here…" his chest puffed out at the mention of who's the charge, looking all proud.

The old man's eyes lit up immediately. "Really? Can you arrange my meeting with her immediately? I have urgent business to see her!"

Upon hearing that, the silver-haired guy's eyebrows knitted together, while his hand instinctively went over to the back of his head and scratched it absentmindedly. "Not really immediately, but at least it'll be faster than going through a line this long," said the silver-haired guy, hands gesturing towards the long line of sick soon-to-be patients. "I can arrange it according to how fast you want, only…" the silver-haired guy trailed his last word off and looked at the ground, pretending to be all troubled.

Impatient, the old man said, "Spit it out already young man!"

Pretending to be all shy, the silver-haired guy smiled shyly to the old man and rubbed his forefinger and thumb together, signaling the old man about the conditions, "Well, if you want it fast, the registration fees will be a tad bit-"

"SENRI!" A voice rang directly a few feet behind the silver-haired man, who jumped into the air before turning around and saluted reflexively.

"YES YOUR MAJESTY-, I mean, *cough* Yes, Hime-sama? Anything else the matter?" stuttered the silver-haired man, which earned Gaara's smirking as he saw Kaguya standing right in front of the huge door towards her manor, both hands on hips, looking all irritated with her eyebrows knitted together, forming a dangerously low V on the middle of her temple.

**So adorable...**Shukaku chirped in Gaara's mind.

_And she's all mine…_Gaara thought, admiring Kaguya from afar.

Today she is wearing a forest green silk flowing robes that reaches the floor, complete with a sleeve as long as a Kimono's sleeve. Her obi, which is a silk black color, matches the green of her silk robes and is tied and fixed right below her breast, unintentionally flaunted out her slim waist with the old traditional way of wearing it. The excessive black silk is left dangling and flowed right in front of her hips, secured with a gold mystic knot. Her attire looked very much like rippling fresh spring green water when she moves around, while the very shades of the forest green made her look exquisite and extremely delectable.

Her hair is tied up in a low bun and donned up with a peacock feathered hairpin, with silver strings of green diamonds streaming around and down the pin, sparkling brightly whenever she moves. That is when Gaara thought she looked beautiful in anything she wore…

Angrily, Kaguya marched up to the man and gave him a good long glare. Gulping, the silver-haired man sweated and tried to look away, but before he could do so, Kaguya's hand reached up and gave his right ear a good pinch and twist.

The effect is instantaneous.

"Owch-! Hime-san-! Ow-! Ah-! Wah-!"

"Exactly _how_ many times do you want me to tell you that I accept no registration fees from the unaffordable ones and the golden aged ones! Huh?" fumed Kaguya, pulling onto Senri's ears a bit more. From Gaara's point of view, it would seems that Kaguya is trying to pull Senri's ears out of his head, and Kaguya sure looks like Temari when she was angry with Kankurou, except that Kaguya is more merciless and vicious looking.

**And beautiful**_,_ Shukaku added, grinning widely when Gaara agreed silently.

"Hime-sama…" whined Senri, trying his best to look upset. He started again in a really sad tone, trailing his last words off, "Please, _please…_"

Kaguya was an intolerable person when it comes to cheating people and lying to others, and when someone _did _tried to cheat others around a possibly 1 mile around her, she'll know about it and rash actions is what comes into her head at first thought.

"Please what! Make haste! I haven't got all day to hear you whine!"

Tearing up, Senri whispered, "_Please…_"

"What?" starting to look concern, Kaguya said in an alarmed tone.

"My…My…" stuttered Senri. Breathing a long deep breath, Senri screamed.

"MY EARS! MY EARS ARE COMING OFF! HIME-SAMA! MY POOR EARS! THEY'RE SUFFERING! PLEASE! LET MY POOR EARS GO!"

God's have mercy. Even Gaara sweat dropped at the sight of the whining Senri.

Kaguya's face broke out into a wide generous smile at the sound of Senri's screams of comment. Pulling Senri's ears further away from his head, she released his ear with a loud "SMACK!" and giving him an eyebrow wriggle that says "I'll deal with you later." Senri nodded his head sadly with a sad pout, rubbing his sore ear.

Turning towards the large crowd, Kaguya said in a loud voice, "Everyone, please, ignore Senri, _**ignore**_Senri." Repeating one sentence, Kaguya emphasized the 'ignore' as sternly as she could, for when Senri is in dire need of attention and cuddling, he'll do anything from puppy eyes to pulling of an extremely sad expression, to which for the records, no one could resist. "Those who still want to be checked, please get back into your respective line, thank you. For those who are here for collecting the medicines, please line up over here."

The line, slowly but miraculously, formed once again, as if nothing had happened to make the line scatter. Gaara is amazed at Kaguya's charismatic value. _If she were to become my secretary, everything will go smoothly, especially the public speeches. I think the time had come for Matsuri to retire…_

**I totally support that, brat. Matsuri is a headache and a pain in the arse. It's such a pain having to hear her squeak and…what was that you humans like to call it…ah! Doing girly giggles around you. Goodness. Somebody needs to speak some sense to her that she just wasn't that cut out to be the woman behind your back…**

_I don't see you helping me with the politics either. _

**I don't see why I should.**

_I don't see why you should be making any noise then._

…

_That's better. __**You're**__ giving me a headache._

Gaara 111, Shukaku 59.


	10. Apothecary

**Chapter 10**

**Apothecary**

Gaara watches Kaguya from the sidelines, all the while keeping his presence well hidden in the shadows. He watches as she smiles sincerely and assisting those who came to her for help. Her stunning appearance in the crowd helped a lot more than what the silver-haired guy had done, and with her presence, everything is well managed and organized. Even the crowds are quieter with her there.

**They liked her, ya know?**

_I can see that._

**You're not jealous?**

_Why should I? They're not the one who's going to be her husband._

**But I can see you didn't like the way that silver hair and Kaguya behaves around each other. Feeling rather scandalous, brat?**

_Don't start. _

…

Shukaku knew when to open and shut his mouth. He knew the limit around his host, and he didn't like to step over the limit. There are consequences to receive if he were to overstep the boundaries, and though he had done it in the past, the thought of ever doing it again never passed his mind again. He didn't know why, but he just never thought about it again. He didn't like them to begin with anyway, so he put them off his mind.

Gaara balled up his fist when he saw just how pleasant their relationship is between each other, Kaguya and Senri. Despite the argument and the scoldings, they actually looked content with each other's presence and there's no doubt that they are close to each other. There was life in them, just like Temari and Kankurou. He could never have that kind of everyday light arguments with just anyone. He wondered just who Senri is when something dawned upon him.

From the start until now, Kaguya never stepped out of the area around her manor. There was even a line drawn around it, and she moved only within the line and made sure to keep away from the line. He remembered her telling him about the curse that keeps her within the compounds of the Miyagusuku Manor, and just when his other thoughts are forming, a strange question rang in the almost silently buzzing crowd and caught his attention.

"Is it true that the Kazekage and his siblings came and proposed an engagement to you yesterday?"

Naturally, Gaara froze in a way that nobody would ever knew he had frozen.

Right from the start, Gaara had a feeling that he shouldn't let down his spying jutsu, and he, in fact, can still hear clearly what other people around the jutsu he placed talks about, that includes the now whining Senri, squatting in a corner, one hand covering his red ear while the other drew circles on the sand, and it's the mention of his title in society that made him jump.

Kaguya, though surprised with the question, stood her ground and answered with a pleasant smile, "It does seems so, but that's only an informal proposal since the Kazekage gave me no engagement ring or gifts but a speech about it. But it doesn't really matter, is it not?" said Kaguya confidently, an air of superiority spreads over her, but she is still as humble as any other kind and good Feudal Princess.

The old man, however, have other ideas of understanding.

"What?" he said in a scandalous way, eyes wide with one hand over his heart. "It does not matter? It's the Kazekage we're talking about, not just some common pile of tramps and low ranking aristocrats." Kaguya frowned at the term of 'Low Ranking Aristocrats". He didn't say it out loud, but Kaguya knew that the old man meant her. She knew just how high her status is in society despite her being rather withdrawn in the social order, and that she is just second to a Kage in Suna. In such, she is more powerful than any council member.

Unlike the other nations, Suna's Kage system relies upon the aristocrats and Feudal Lords to be their leader of the nation. The Kazekage's family comes from a direct line of the Feudal Lords, and descends purely out of noble blood. To add with their Kage title, they are first in the chart tree of the Lords and Ladies of Suna.

To sum it all up, the Suna Siblings are all active Feudal Lords and Ladies as well.

**Wow…**Shukaku piped up in awe at the stupidity of the old man, feeling Gaara's wrath boiling up. **Those garbs are lame. They couldn't even cover his shiny boots, but this old man sure got the guts to say that. He's just a commoner before he's given the council's seat, isn't he?**

_A commoner down to the roots of the family,_ Gaara answered mentally, eyes glaring at the old man, who seems to have felt it, and shrugged uncomfortably, preferring to ignore the glare he received unknowingly from the Kazekage. _Everyone knew Okawa is the only councilmen to have been elected without an ounce of noble blood in him. He's been desperate to be one too, and he's trying hard to win favors from nobles just so that his children can marry into their noble families, but alas, the nobles are smart enough to not let him in, more so his children. _

Kaguya frowned from the insult. "Excuse me?"

Okawa puffed out his chest, dropping the 'sick and frail' façade entirely and said arrogantly, "It would seem that since the Kazekage's proposal is not counted as formal and official without the proposal ring and gifts, your meeting with the Kazekage will be for nothing then. That will mean no engagement. It is null and everything is void."

**And that will mean that his granddaughter will still had the chance to be a Kage's wife and his daily income will increase ten folds, **Shukaku said, rolling his eyes.

_For once in 18 years Shukaku, you're making some sense. _

**Well I'm not totally useless am I? At least with my over hundreds of years of experience and power, my existence in you will be able to help you in governing this kind of people.**

_And getting the honor of having insomnia and black rings around my eyes that made every one of my fan clubs nicknamed me as the cute panda king? Save your breath._

**Aww, come on! It's not all that bad, and you're already good looking enough without the black rings, and with the black rings they sure do make you look more alluring and irresistible to women. You know the girls liked mysterious cool quiet guys. The colder you are to them, the more irresistible they are to you.**

_How many men did you detect so far, Shukaku?_

Shukaku immediately sobered up. When Gaara used the beast's name, it usually means business. **5 men. They're not a Shinobi of Suna. They're bodyguards and assassins. Each are at an individual random post dressed as normal citizens. Newspaper stand, Lamp Post, a beggar by the stinking drain, a drunk by the side of the road and a post man that never seems to deliver any letters. Man, they're lame!**

_It's their eyes and their auras that give them off. _

**Correct, **said Shukaku in a matter-of-factly tone.

Gaara scoffed silently and gave Shukaku a_ "…"_

**Oh, man! I've wanted to say that for years! "Correct." Wow, just how cool's that! **

_Stupid._

**I admit that, but I'm not one all the time.**

"But its right up to the Kazekage himself to make the decision isn't he?" Kaguya's voice brought him out of the small talk with Shukaku. Kaguya continued in a sweet honey voice with disgust dripping off every drop of sentence, "After all, it's _Gaara-sama _that is getting an engagement and matrimony, not the _council_." Gaara smiled his crooked smile. He can feel that she felt challenged, and is determined to fight back without backing down.

**I like a lady with guts,** Shukaku said, receiving no replies from Gaara.

The councilmen looked aghast and stuttered a comment while jabbing his finger towards Kagya, "Ho-How dare you-"

Slapping one hand over her chest and puffing them out, Kaguya said sarcastically, "How dare I? *scoff* I suggest for you to take your leave right about now, _council member_, if you're not here to see me for medicinal purposes. You see, others are politely waiting and lining up, unlike a certain someone who forces through with a lame _costume_…I must say you do have a very interesting idea in dress codes."

For one thing, Kaguya had the knack of knowing what status that someone is by a glance from top to toe. Normal citizens won't wear their hair in such way that a fly would slip down the moment it landed on their hair, and normal citizens won't groom their moustache in time-wasting way, and it would seems that the old man had used a hair curling iron to curl his moustache as well, and certainly, normal citizen in Suna won't wear such expensive looking shoes.

"The Kazekage's matters is what most important!"said the old man, starting to bounce in fury from the insolence of a 'child' that stands far taller than himself and spoke in such aristocratic way that outshines his council member's status, which is higher than the highest aristocrats status in Suna. "For the sake of the village's future, those people can wait!" The old man hates those that do not recognize him as the council member and often makes their lives a living hell of trouble by using dirty methods, and those that do not even bothered to use honorific titles to address him almost _always _ends up spending the rest of their lives in dungeons and jails. Most of them, sad to say, are innocent framed good aristocrats.

Kaguya shakes her head in a sorrow stricken way, eyebrows knitted together in a concerned way, and looking disappointedly at the old man. She states in a cold low voice, "So this is the way Council Members treat Suna's residence. It's a wonder how someone like _you_ managed to climb up to that seat, while others that voted for you stay as unfortunate as a wingless bat without all the things you have promised them, poor things."

Outraged, the council men pointed a finger at Kaguya accusingly and shouted his orders. "You- You are hereby _forbidden _to see the Kazekage _ever_ _again_! I shall arrange for your aristocrats title to be stripped and you'll be banished from Suna! This is the end, insolent brat!" Kaguya noted that his spits flying out with each sentence in every direction under the most disgusted and unimaginable way for an aristocrat holding the council member's title. Everyone that was here for medicinal purposes had stopped chattering and listened intently on their topic, some were supporting the short and plump old council member, while the rest, which consist almost most of the crowds supported Kaguya, for they knew that she is not a selfish aristocrat like the rest of the aristocrat families in Suna.

They never knew that she is not just an aristocrat, but a Feudal Princess.

Gaara finds that he himself is unable to remain silent any longer. From the moment the councilmen started to point an accusing finger at Kaguya, Shukaku had been rooting on behind his mind with a "**SACK HIM! SACK HIM! SACK HIM!"** cheer, to which he couldn't help but to agree wholeheartedly. He didn't like the idea that someone as low as the councilmen Okawa would dare to make a decision for him, and choose to strip Kaguya's title and banish her off Suna? Why, he just earned himself the very same thing.

He's a Kazekage of Suna, and he's no longer a puppet for Suna. Stepping up from behind the shadows, the crowd slowly parted for him to pass through upon sensing his dominating presence. He saw Kaguya looked up to him and gasped, a stunning bright smile broke out from her expression at the sight of him. He'll relieve her off this nuisance.

"And who are you to decide what I have decided is wrong, council member from the Okawa family?"

The stocky council men's eyes went wide with fear at the familiar deep and dangerous voice, and the aura surrounding the owner of the voice tells much more than his presence initiated. The old council member trembled like a leaf in the wind and paled immediately.

Gaara the Kazekage was standing right behind the old council member.

Turning around slowly, old man Okawa's eyeballs bulged outwards to get a good look of confirmation regarding the owner of the voice. He nearly whimpered when his sight confirmed that it is indeed Gaara who stood behind him and is glaring at him in a way that made him felt like death is upon the door. Slowly, in a trembling voice, Okawa greeted the Kazekage with a stutter, "K-K-Kazekage-sama…"

"Who give you the permission to overrule my decision?" said Gaara, venom dripping off his tone and instantly, blasted them towards the now cowering Okawa.

Swallowing nervously, Okawa dared himself to reply to the young Lord. "Kazekage-sama, the council had decided that-"

"The last decision lies in _my_ hand, council member Okawa. What have the council decided? Did I not say that in the last meeting that I will request for the council's presence when I want a meeting? Who then, gave you permission to run a meeting _without _my presence? You know it is forbidden for meetings to be held without the Kage's or the Head of Councilmen's presence."

Gaara's eyes continued to burn holes into the old man's head, wishing infinitely that a vile and wicked person like him will end up in the trash site in Suna, covered in thick green and yellow goo. He knew what he had done to most of the good aristocrats in Suna, and by the time he is Kazekage, half of them had died in prison, and all because of a lowly commoner Councilmember Okawa. The old man quivered all the more Gaara speaks, praying with all his might so as to lessen the glare he received from the young Lord Kazekage.

"B-Bu-But Kazekage-sama-" once again, he dared himself to stutter a sentence on his behalf, but Gaara paid him no mind and continued in a dangerous cold tone.

"And do you think you have the power to strip off any unfavorable aristocrat's power off the line in Suna without first consulting with me? You're stepping over the boundaries you're not allowed to, Okawa-san."

After being cut off for two times in speech, old man Okawa kept his head and eyes onto the grounds, afraid that if he looked up, Suna will either be covered in frozen blizzard or consumed in hungry flames by the sheer stare from Gaara's sky blue eyes.

Walking closer to the squat little old man, Gaara towered above him and, realizing that he's covered in Gaara's shadow, the old man gulped and prayed that his pathetic life will be spared by Gaara's wrath. Gaara whispered in a venom-soaked tone, "Perhaps I should remind you whose position is higher, and who wield the most power in Suna..."

By this time, the old man is half-kneeled, half-standing on the ground by Gaara's intense stare. But before Gaara can whisper another venom coated speech to the old man, a pair of soft arms wrapped themselves around the old man's shoulders. Smiling ever so gently and reassuringly, Kaguya said gently, "Gaara-sama, how nice to see you here early in the morning. It surely made my day to be able to meet you here, but, pardon me for my audaciousness, would you mind speaking in another place? The air here is getting rather tense..."

Gaara's eyes glanced around and, as per what Kaguya had said, the people coming for the apothecary had gone silent and is staring at the scene in front of them with rapt attention.

All of a sudden, everything happens in a flash.

Gaara' is almost thrown to the floor when he is tackled from behind by a sudden momentum. He caught strands of silver-hair by glancing from the side of his eyes, and he actually felt something hard rubbing against his flaming red head.

With a quick bow and goodbye, the old council men took the chance and fled the scene, followed by 5 casually dressed bodyguards. He frowned when he thought he heard a series of screws and bolts dropping to the floor. Straightening himself with the heavy weight that had latched itself onto his back, Gaara closes his eyes and wished that the thing behind his back is his sand gourd.

But then he remembered he didn't bring his sand gourd with him today. It's still sitting by the doorstep of the Kazekage's manor, if his memory serves him correctly.

_Then Kaguya,_ he thought. He didn't mind if the one behind his back is Kaguya. Hell, he'd want her behind his back like that.

But then again, he caught sight of her surprised eyes staring at him, looking ever so elegant in the forest green silk she wore. It's rare to see someone dress in silk in Suna, but then again, she's no ordinary citizen. She's a Feudal Princess; of course she would have to dress according to her stature. Her eyes flitted from him to the one behind his back, then back at him then back at the one behind his back again.

And he still felt the 'rubbing' against his head. He began to have his own suspicions that it is in fact a silver-hair covered head.

He closes his eyes and frowned. Dear god.

"My goodness," an elderly voice cracked from the line. "I'd never knew Kazekage-sama is gay…"

"Me either," someone joined in. "I didn't know he likes boys."

"They looked adorable!"

"But I thought that the Lady Kaguya is engaged to him…?"

"That's strange indeed, but maybe the Kazekage had actually meant Senri…?"

"Senri? That hot headed handsome jerk! Lord helps us! That creep actually liked animals more than we girls!"

_Oh Kami…_ Gaara thought to himself. _Please send the person behind me into the deepest pit of hell…_

Then, as usual, Shukaku piped in.

**You need any help, kid? **Shukaku said, sounding a little more than eagerly when his eyes shining a little too brightly and mischievous than Gaara's liking. **You know I wouldn't mind helping you complete the deed.**

Gritting his teeth, Gaara used his full physical strength and flung off the person behind his back towards the wall. Unfortunately, he had conveniently forgotten that the side of the wall that he flungs the 'parasite' that stuck behind his back a while ago is actually the wooden fence of Kaguya's manor. He could only watch when the 'parasite', which is actually the guy with silver-hair collided with the wall and cause a series of dust and soot and wooden splinters arising within a dramatic cloud of dust.

Talking about too late to cry over spilled milk...

"Gaara-sama…" Kaguya whispered in a shocked expression, one palm over her cheek.

Turning towards the feudal princess, Gaara said in a somber tone. "I apologize for this…slight disarray. I will arrange for someone to fix these up, but before that, I do believe you have an explanation to do with your fiancée with _that_."

Gaara pointed at the silver-haired guy, now lying in a heap of splinters, soot and dust, appearing completely knocked out. He fumes with the knowledge that the very man whom he had knocked out had bounced around Kaguya as if he is allowed to do so.

Again, Shukaku provided him with a new knowledge he never knew he could experience.

**Admit it, kid. You're experiencing what we and the humans call 'Jealousy'.**


	11. Senri is Spade

**Chapter 11**

**Senri is…Spade?**

"That, Gaara-sama?" Kaguya asked with her head cocked to the side slightly, staring at the direction Gaara had pointed. Everyone followed Gaara's pointing direction and blinked their eyes.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

"What about Senri, Gaara-sama?" Kaguya asked again, looking back to Gaara this time and noted his strangely angry expression.

Senri had conveniently woken up at the right timing. He realizes his position and finds that he's lying in a small mound of rubbles and splinters, and had gone into a series of shock before jumping up, scanned the scene and hidden his profile behind Kaguya's small back. Daring him to look up, Senri peeked out from behind Kaguya and squeaked – I repeat, _squeaked_ in fear upon sensing the heated laser eyes of the young Kazekage on himself. Whining, Senri, hide his entire face behind Kaguya's back and cowered in fear.

By Kaguya's power of observation, she could have sworn that Gaara's nose flared like an angry bull when Senri gets closer to her, his light blue eyes immediately turned into an icy color. That is when a thought struck Kaguya. She could already feel her heart swelling in happiness at the very thought of Gaara getting resentful over Senri. She honestly didn't know that he liked her that much to begin this whole chaos.

Smiling, Kaguya turned her focus towards the crowd. "Everyone!" Kaguya said, beginning in a voice loud enough for everyone to stop their chatters and mumblings almost immediately. "The medicine shop is badly damaged and is in dire need of repair before a surprise storm whips up upon us. It will be a while before I can continue giving out medicine peacefully. I am truly sorry for the inconvenience. I trust that I will post up a notice in front of the manor announcing the possible dates that business will resume as usual. Thank you for coming, and once again, I am sorry for the inconvenience."

A series of murmurs and sighing broke out soon after Kaguya finishes her speech, and as sudden as it appeared, the crowd subsided in an alarming rate and the rest of the patients went home, leaving Gaara, Kaguya and Senri in the middle of the road.

The wind blew suddenly and out of nowhere a huge roll of broken, torn and tattered basket rolled right in front of them and continued out to the end of the street while Kaguya and Senri continued to stare at it with mild amusement until it disappears from their sight.

When they looked up, Senri froze when he realizes that Gaara is still fixing his laser cold eyes upon him and shivered in response.

"W-would you like a cup of Flowering Tea, Gaara-sama?" Senri started in a cheerful tone. "Kaguya-hime makes excellent tea, and the Flowering Tea is her best drink-"

"Senri," Kaguya interrupted with a smile. She continued in an equally sweet smile and tone, which doesn't match the words she is going to say at all. "Get into the house before Gaara-sama kills you."

Well, truth to be said, being the first one to break the silence doesn't warrant one a lucky escape, and in this case, Senri has just personally signed a death certificate with Kazekage Godaime.

People might be wondering why on earth would Senri suddenly acts in a way that betrays his fear when just a moment ago he was cowering openly behind Kaguya. Senri, you see, had a special knack in forgetting important and death-related things fairly quickly, and that is one of the reasons why he always lands in a rather 'difficult' situation.

Of course, there was always Kaguya to save his tail if the situation goes out of control, so he practically fears nothing except pretending to cower behind her small back just to get a little bit of human warmth.

Kaguya wanted so much to roll her eyes at what happens next. As expected, Senri kicked up a big fuss over something that could very well cost his life and yet remains ever so blind to it despite it being so obvious. "What?" Senri said disbelievingly, slapping his chest in a strangely feminine way. "Gaara-sama…kills me? But how could he? He won't do such a thing! Hime-sama, how could you throw such a…a…a…"

Realizing that Senri is not smart enough to say the whole sentence to make himself look amazing, Kaguya filled in the blanks for him with both of her eyebrows raised. "Lie?"

With a casual click of his fingers, Senri said, "Ye-" but, being the smart-mouthed one, Kaguya interrupted before Senri could finish his sentence.

"I happen to speak the truth more often that I spoke of lies." Kaguya said, lifting her head up in the air a little.

"B-Bu-" mumbled Senri helplessly.

"You may choose to believe me if you look behind you right now." Kaguya said with a smile on her face while motioning with her hand towards Senri's back, not allowing the silver-haired guy to continue mumbling another large pile of jumbled-up craps.

As soon as Senri turned his head around to look at Gaara, he regretted it almost immediately. He now understands that the heat he was feeling up until now on the back of his head is, no doubt, from Gaara's laser eyes. It was not the sun, it was not a reflection and it was not the light coming from torch lights and a hot light bulb, and it's threatening to burn a patch of his hair bald if things were to continue in such ways.

Gulping nervously, Senri raked his small mind for other topics to start and stray to and finally settled for a stupidly stupid one that, amazingly, worked on the stoic young Kazekage.

He began with a pitiful loud gulp of fear. "Anyone wants cookies?"

Nobody would ever imagine that Gaara, the once murderous and most dangerous shinobi in Suna would love cookies apart from salted tongue and gizzards to the point that at the mention of the food, his eyes actually brightened a little and lost all their cold tones. Unfortunately, the young redhead caught the eyes of the young Feudal Princess and, as a result, his cheeks turned slightly pink in the process.

Kaguya's eyes widened in disbelief; Gaara had looked every bit a kid expecting his first ever present under the large Christmas Tree, and she couldn't help but to think that the Kazekage could actually look adorable apart from being beautifully handsome. Unable to resist, Kaguya walked towards him, wrapped both of her arms around Gaara's neck and gently pulled him down for a warm hug.

"I didn't know that Gaara-sama you would have such an adorable side that's hidden from the world," Kaguya said in almost a cooing tone, rubbing her face affectionately against Gaara's like an over-affectionate cat. Gaara heard her sigh in delight and merely looked down on the ground, ashamed that such a part of him is seen by his fiancée. How could he ever be manly again in front of her if she had seen such a part of him? Gaara closed his eyes tightly when it's Shukaku's cue to barge in and laugh at him.

**Haha! Hahahahaha!** Shukaku howled in laughter, rolling on the ground. **My God of** **Six Paths! You actually made that look! You Actually – Made – That – Look! Just how much more hilarious can all this be!**

_I'll make it hilarious enough that you'd shut up in an instant,_ Gaara growled in his mind in hopes of shutting Shukaku off, but to no avail.

**Hahahahaha! I'll laugh all I want! You can't shut me up anymore kid!**

Immediately, Gaara flashed the pictures of Shukaku running away from his fight and the numbers of fails and wins. It was a plain pitiful number, and Shukaku sobered up almost immediately.

At that moment, it didn't matter whether Senri's dramatic gasp of shock for Kaguya's first ever public display of her own fondness towards Gaara, her future fiancé and husband. All it matters is that she knew she liked the young Kazekage more than 'like' and yet is not sure whether it's love or not while the redhead pondered about making amends regarding his unmanly display for cookies.

"Hime-sama," Senri said in a bored tone, his eyes half-closed in a 'Duh? Can't you see what I'm doing right now and at least stop doing what you're doing right now for a moment?' way. "For the record, I don't 'gasp' for fun." Senri waved his hands around in a ridiculous way. "I 'gasp' when there's something important going on."

Annoyed, Kaguya practically wrenched herself away from Gaara and flashed Senri a look of irritation, "What is it, Senri? Make it quick, my temper's short today."

From a distance, the distinctive sound of thudding thundered across the Suna's hard ground, echoing right up to where the trio stood. It is strange, but the sudden void of humans on the very streets at such an early hour brought no comfort to Senri the silver-haired guy. In fact, he felt uneasy.

"Is that – people?" Kaguya started, her eyes squinting towards the direction of the sound.

Gaara nodded in agreement. It's Senri's cue to pipe in, and he did. "It looks like they're chasing someone with an angry expression on their faces and – w-was that a _chainsaw_!"

Everyone watched as the angry mob of people getting closer and closer to the trio. Then the screaming and protests got louder, and then they noticed that most of the mobs are young girls holding a banner or a pole bearing a flag with prints of the face of the familiar young Kazekage.

"Oh, it's the Gaara Fan Club…" Senri said dismissively, laughing when he saw just how ridiculous they are when they're holding it on top of their heads. Then when he remembered that one of them actually carried a chainsaw, he – as the rare breed of a desert fox, panicked like the animal he is and froze in fear.

"Eto de…" he started in a monotone voice, eyes fixated upon the nearing mobs. "Hime-sama, could we…ya know? Get inside for the safety of our lives?" stuttered Senri, eyes still fixated upon the mob.

"Senri," Kaguya called from the doors of the Miyagusuku Manor. "Stop being silly and come in. You wouldn't want to get caught in the middle of _that_ kind of fan club. It's dangerous."

Senri snapped his head to the sides and watched as Gaara stepped into the manor with Kaguya watching from the doorway. It was then he realizes that he still stood in the middle of the road watching the mobs getting closer and closer to him.

"Well, I guess I should," Senri mumbled to himself, walking towards the direction of the manor languidly.

Without a thought about where he is going and who blocks the grand entrance, Senri bumped himself stupidly into the young Kazekage with a grunt, and watches onward as Gaara fell face first onto the floor.

His sand shield immediately went up and cushioned the fall, neatly slamming his face into the sand cushion mutely. Lifting his head up, he glared at Senri with eyes that threatened to shimmer red with the amount of hate in them.

"I will kill you one day." Gaara swore solemnly, watching in delight as Senri quivered in fear and mumbling a small, "Sorry. So sorry. Won't do it again."

"I bet you have no idea about it, don't you, Gaara-sama?" Kaguya asked, her eyes sparkling and cocking to the side as she watched Gaara's reaction regarding his fan club that just passed by all of them. Sitting up, Gaara merely shrugged as an answer.

"The Gaara's Fan Club," Kaguya recited, nodding her head at each word. "Those who are caught touching, bumping, hitting, slapping, flirting, kissing or doing a flying kiss to the honorable beautiful Sabaku no Gaara shall be decreed as the enemy of the female race in Suna."

"That's ridiculous!" Gaara said spontaneously, his expression a rare horrified look.

Kaguya raised both of her eyebrows and shakes her head with an amused expression on her face. "Well, to them, it's not at all ridiculous. It's the case of The Kazekage versus the rest of the female population of Suna."

Gaara succumbed himself into a deep thought, trying to come up with something that enables him to determine her feelings for him. He wanted to ask her, and yet when he tried to come up with the right word, it slipped away from his mind and leaving him blank. Somehow, he needed to know her side of the opinion.

**Ask her then,** Shukaku interrupted his thought lazily. **I'm sure she'll tell you the truth. She's not the type to lie. In fact, I don't think she ever told a lie before in her whole life.**

Gaara frowned a little._ How are you to be so sure about that? You're inside me, and you don't know her at all._

**Well, **Shukaku stretched a little, yawning in his wake and looked up at Gaara.** For one, the aura surrounding her is fresh and clear, like the crisp cold fresh morning smell of the forest in Konoha last time you went there. **It was then Gaara noticed Shukaku's eyes glazed over, as if he's imagining something rather pleasant. Again, Gaara frowned.

**We Tailed-Beasts are able to see through human's façade and read their aura like you humans read books. Some are so awful they look like pieces of shit floating around them. Hers are just so clean and fresh and she actually smelled so good that you can't help but to want to bite her a bit.**

_I won't ever do such a thing! _Gaara's eyes widened in horror and repulse at Shukaku's reply, unable to imagine him hurting her by biting her._ And when did you smell her out! _

Shukaku roared out laughing, patting his large belly. **You said it right now, kid. Now my guess is – well, not to say that in a bloody way – but you **_**will**_** bite her when you're in heat.**

… _That's just plain disgusting. Stop comparing yourself to me, you beast._

Shukaku rolled its eyes.** That's our way of saying 'getting high'. I suppose you humans have a gentler way of putting it into words other than using the word 'in heat'. **

_Of course we have. We're not animals. I thought I've told you to not compare me to the likes of you, or have you gone deaf? And, just so you remember, she can hear you talking._

**Nah, don't cha worry 'bout that, **Shukaku waved lazily at Gaara.** It appears that since the night she found out that she can hear me, she chooses to 'zoom' out the channel that links me to her and turns it off. You can't hear her phoenix talking because her phoenix has closed all outside connection herself. But even if she didn't close it, you can't hear it unless she allows you to. **

**I admit, your girlfriend is a bit special on that ground – she has a higher spiritual sensitivity than most people do, including you. I must say, she'd be wonderful if she were to be on your Anbu team, but apparently, she inherited her mother's side of the family's blood and physical built more. The Shiratoes are famous for being weaklings. **

Gaara rolled his eyes at Shukaku and ended their mind talk.

After the mob passed by the manor, Kaguya turned away from peaking at the door and noticed that Gaara's still sitting on the floor, now no longer supported by his sand.

Stretching out her hand, Kaguya offered to pull Gaara up to his feet with a soft smile. Feeling himself staring and yet unable to break the stare, Gaara – in a slow motion – lifted up his own hand towards her offered hand and grasped them before pulling himself off the ground.

Still holding hands, Kaguya smiled at Gaara. Then her smile slowly slides off her face and she frowned.

Tugging at Gaara's hand, Kaguya pulled Gaara along with her and made him sit down on an expensive black wooden bench. Sitting down as well, Kaguya faced the redhead and inspected Gaara's hand. Fishing out a small brown tub, Kaguya scooped out a small dollop of a cream colored salve and rubbed it smoothly into Gaara's hand, entirely unhindered by any sand shield.

If Gaara had eyebrows, he would have raised them both. _My sand shield…_he thought to himself.

**It's not me.** Shukaku raised both of his hands as a defense in advance incase Gaara asked. **That is not my doing, I didn't do it.**

_Well, _Gaara started in confusion_. If it's not you, and it's not me, then who is it?_

**You scare me sometimes 'ya know? Sure, sometimes I protected you with the sand, but the sand shield thingy dropping off when the princess touches you is just not me. I don't know what happen to your sand shield, but it seems as if it had a mind of its own, and that freaks me out.**

"Seriously, Gaara-sama," Kaguya said while rubbing the salve into his hand, breaking his little reverie with Shukaku. "You _need _to keep your hands moisturized at all times under Suna's terrible heat. Your hands are all cracked up, poor thing, and they're even close to bleeding! Hasn't anyone told you about the importance of well-moisturized hands?"

Gaara watches as Kaguya fussed over his hand. The simple notion of her hands on his reminds him of a memory in his younger days, the days before he carved the word 'love' on his forehead. Most of the memories are a blur of images and voices, more so his memories on the day Yashamaru killed himself. He distinctly remembers a pair of warm hands and a lovely child-like singing. And a girl. Yes, a girl! He remembers a vision of a little girl around his age, and the little girl fussed over his hands just like Kaguya did right now.

Still, he can't remember the song she sang that night, and yet, even as his memory fails him in recounting the song, he knew that the voice and the music remains deeply etched in his heart, and that if he were to listen it once again, he'll definitely remember her. He sighed to himself with his inability to remember the girl, the song and how she looks like in general.

"Kazekage-sama's a shinobi, Hime-san…he doesn't have time for salves and moisturizers…" Senri stated the facts, watching with a bored expression on his face. Kaguya flashed him a frown and he immediately smoothen his looks to that of a normal look instead of a bored one.

"Shinobi or not, he is now a Kazekage," Kaguya said, her eyes focusing on Gaara's hand as she continued to rub another fresh layer of salve. The redhead noted that the salve smelled a little close to the smell of some kind of cucumber, and instead of strange, he finds the scent quite refreshing. "He touches paperwork more than battling as a shinobi, and even if he does, his turn at the battlefield would be extremely rare. Moreover," Kaguya turned to look up at Gaara, who, even as both sat down, the redhead still towers above her. "You've constantly coated yourself in your sand shield. Don't you ever felt suffocated by it, Gaara-sama?"

Just when he is about to come up with a reply, he felt something rubbing against his knee, and the feeling is – in a horrible way – unpleasantly familiar.

His eyes glanced down at his knee and a mop of silvery hair obscured his vision to the ground, and at the same time, it is also the main source of all the repulsive rubbings.

"Mmm…" Senri moaned with his eyes closed, sending an appalled shiver up to Gaara's spine. "Gaara-sama is so warm…suki-des…ah…shiawase deshta…" (Gaara-sama is so warm…I like it…ah…this is happiness!)

Gaara's shock had gone to a stage where he isn't sure if he can be surprised by anything else anymore. He watches in horror as a light blush slowly colored Senri's face, who had plastered an idiotic grin across his jaw and smiling in a rather – so as to speak – perverted way.

To Senri, the blushing creates the kind of warmth that covers his face as blood rushes from his body to his cheek. He felt himself emitting a wave of loving warmth and illusionary happiness settles over him in soft pink, imagining himself the animal he is –sitting in Gaara's lap all curled up and sleeping while the Kazekage patted his head gently – Senri giggles at the illusion running through his small mind.

The warmth and giggle, however, serves to fuel Gaara's gradually rising temperature and irritation, indicating that he is nearly reaching his boiling point in anger. As wonderful as it had been, Senri's wonderful time ended as rapidly as it had started.

Gaara's feet snapped forward almost involuntarily and aimed a straight kick to Senri's head like a world-class footballer aiming for the goal post, and in this situation, Kaguya's front door manor is the goal post. His leg connected with nothing when he had been so sure that he's going to strike the annoying gnat, as he called Senri. Turns out that Senri had avoided Gaara's kick at the last moment and hopped away with both hands cupping his face and cheek, appearing to savor the warmth he had stolen from Gaara.

"Subarashi…Gaara-sama's warmth is so heavenly heaven…" (Wonderful…Gaara-sama's warmth is so heavenly heaven…)

Kaguya sweat dropped, her smile frozen on her face while her eyes flitted from Gaara to Senri, then back again to Gaara as she watches his expression darkens in disgust at the sight of Senri entering his Blissfully Blissful mode, aka Idiot Mode. Seeing that there's no end in the Tanuki-Chases-The-Rat race, Kaguya intervened.

Holding onto one of Gaara's arms as tightly as she could, Kaguya said quickly in hopes of calming Gaara before something worse happened. "Gaara-sama," she started desperately. "Please stop chasing Senri. Its part of his nature to stick to the person he likes. One, it's me. Two, it's you, Gaara-sama. You can't really blame him for behaving in such a way-"

Gaara turned to Kaguya, his eyes wide with disbelief. "I can't blame him?" Gaara watches as Kaguya smiled awkwardly, her eyes flitting back and forth from Gaara to Senri. "You're saying that it's normal for another man to stick to your fiancé's back like some love-struck goon!"

"But Gaara-sama," Kaguya tried again, this time, she started coaxingly. "He just forgets that he's a human right now. All the servants have gone back to their village for a week to be with their family, and the whole manor is just me and him-"

"What?" Gaara raised his voice in shock, his eyes wide to the point that he isn't sure if he can widen them again if more shocking information came in – his future-bride with a man in a manor all alone for a week?

"I'm sorry I didn't explain things earlier, but please, Gaara-sama," Kaguya intervened Gaara by covering his mouth with her hand just when he is about to open his mouth to say something. Staring up into Gaara's eyes, Kaguya whispered softly, "Listen to me for a while…?"

Gaara stares into her eyes, finding him melting under the watchful gaze of Miyagusuku Kaguya. He's a shinobi, and yet he had this sudden notion of wanting to drown in her eyes for a long, long time. It was a strange shade of deep Cherry Red, the color of thick dark blood which he had seen frequently on battlefield. People would have easily mistaken them for dark brown, but now that he is close enough to her that he could even determine a few gold flecks around the rare diamond shaped hazel flanks. It was a kind of rare eyes shapes, and it is only passed down through families. He knew why she wanted him to stare into her eyes. She wanted to prove to him that she's not lying, and she knew, as a shinobi, he can detect people lying in less than a second.

She wanted him to trust her, and in this case, he couldn't help but to do so.

"Gaara-sama," she started softly, her eyes still staring into his steadily and yet softly at the same time. "I hope you still remember Spade from yesterday, because that same fox hybrid has the rare power to shift forms and...I hope I don't sound like an idiot, but Senri and Spade is the same being."

It was a long time before Gaara made a response. First his eyes widened a degree, then his mouth opened slightly in a light gap, then he frowned.

"Don't you see the resemblance, Gaara-sama?" Kaguya asked as her head cocked slightly to the sides. "Both Senri and Spade have dark beady eyes, silver colored fur and hair – well, the points may be little, but there's still the resemblance…"

"Kaguya-hime," Gaara called formally.

"Yes, Kazekage Gaara-sama?" Kaguya replied dutifully.

Gaara started slowly, his eyes turned their focus to Senri's idiotic standing form. "You meant to say that Senri and Spade are the same being, and that Senri is Spade's human form?"

Kaguya smiled delightfully. "I thought you would never get it, Kazekage-sama. You're correct. Senri is Spade's human form. We call him Senri when he's human because it would cause strange thoughts to start circling down the road were the people ever finds out that there is a hybrid living in my manor. Apparently, they have the kind of thought that if a hybrid were ever to be created, they would have some undefeatable supernatural powers that could destroy Suna in a single night."

Gaara blinked. "Those are some thoughts…"

Kaguya smiled. "They sure are, Gaara-sama."

"Then…" Gaara started, but then Senri had other ideas.

Leaping into the air, Senri latched onto Gaara's back with both of his arms around the Kazekage's shoulders. "Then all the more reasons to love me, Gaa-sama! I love you!"

Then that was it.

Gaara's temper rose rapidly and he flung Senri off his back with one swipe of his hand. Raising his hand, Gaara summoned sand from all over the place and said angrily, "All the more reason to destroy that piece of meat then!"

"Gaara-sama!" Kaguya exclaimed, one hand outstretched to stop the redhead. "No!"

Ignoring Kaguya's warning, Gaara directed his sand towards Senri, who had stood aside and watched Gaara unleashing his power. Gaara directed the sand to rush forward and smash Senri, who luckily came out of his frozen stupor on the last second and avoided the fatal sand crash, which, instead of smashing Senri, the sand smashed the walls of Kaguya's manor instead.

And as soon as the wall crumbled, a wave of head-splitting migraine hit Gaara full blast on the head.


	12. Kaguya's Lullaby

**Chapter 12**

**Kaguya's Lullaby**

For the third time in his life, Gaara gripped his head and screamed out in pain. It was excruciating, nothing like the first time he experienced the pain of heartache when he learned the truth that Yashamaru is trying to kill him and the time when Uchiha Sasuke used Chidori on him, learning what pain and wound and the feeling of bleeding is like. This pain is far more different than those pains.

The pain he's experiencing right now is so excruciating that as if his soul is being torn apart viciously.

**Urgh… **Shukaku groaned in pain as well, stumbling back to his dog of a house**. Brat …run!**

Shukaku seemed to spoke between gritted teeth, aware of the pain as well, but to Gaara, even gritting his teeth till he felt as if his jaws will break; he can barely make another sound other than the sound of pain.

A pair of soft hands and an extremely fragrant smell enveloped him in a warm embrace. Affectionate and gentle, the person blocked the wave of pain from hitting him full blast, lessening the pain to a degree and slowly leading him away from the source of the pain.

Senri had taken the quick initiative to cover the huge hole made by Gaara's sand with anything within his reach; antiques decorative items piled stack after stack to hide a small part of the hole, the zabuton stuffed between the holes and the antiques, the carpet, and still, the hopelessness of that stupid bloody gaping hole that is made because of him.

Running out of items to cover it with anything in the greeting lobby room, Senri glanced behind him and watches as Kaguya leads Gaara slowly away from the wave of pain that only a fellow Jinchuuruki is able to feel. The only safest room for all Jinchuuruki is her current chamber, and Senri knew she is going into that direction.

Kaguya's chamber is a room designed for her use as a Jinchuuruki who owns and possesses a bijuu that does not allow its host to sleep.

For Kaguya, if she were to fall asleep at nighttime when the temperature in Suna could fluctuate up and down in an instant, Maia the Eight-Tailed Phoenix's fire would start to burn a strange shade of blue that is able to burn anything into ash. Sometimes, when Kaguya is over exhausted, she would feel the need to sleep at nighttime, and that room is specially designed for her use by her mother when she is young.

One might wonder why she uses this troublesome method instead of using the convenience of fire heater. For one, no matter how hot the room could become, heaters cannot match the heat from daylight sun in Suna, and it's not quite hot enough for Maia to maintain constant self-control. As a perfect preclude of such cases, Kaguya carried around different charms that are different in version but same on the side of powers. Those charms could temporarily prevent Maia fire from turning blue.

Guilt settled over his heart heavily as he watched his beloved mistress suffered silently while trying to help the Kazekage. He was the one who had caused all this mess to happen. Have he not try to irritate the Kazekage out of fun watching his poker expression change, his savior wouldn't have to suffer such pain.

Gritting his teeth, Senri ripped off his shirt and covered the last small hole on the wall. He knew by the looks of Kaguya's tense shoulder slumping forward a little, the oscillation of anti-Jinchuuruki wave had stopped flowing out. However, despite the painful oscillation stopped flowing, the pain from the waves still lingers around judging by the slight frown on his princess's eyebrows. Still, it was far better than watching her nearly bending down from the first interval of anti-Jinchuuruki wave.

"We're almost there, Gaara-sama," Kaguya panted, sweat dripping from the sides of her face from her forehead. "Bear with it for a while more, Gaara-sama. We're almost there…"

Dashing forward, Senri quickly slide the shoji door open for the young Head of Miyagusuku, helping her in shouldering the Kazekage overwhelmed with pain. Kaguya gave him a brief small grateful smile before stumbling after him, sinking into the tatami on her knees while trying to catch her breath.

While setting Gaara down onto the futon, Kaguya asked Senri to bring her a list of items. Senri had disappeared down the hall and came back moments later with everything she had asked.

Gaara had never experience such mind-splitting pain in his entire life. Upon entering Kaguya's chamber, his sand shield had peeled away and formed a small miniature version of his current sand gourd, leaving him fragile and open to risks of injuries, as if the sand itself knew that Gaara is safe from all harms here in this chamber. He refused to follow her advice to rest here until the pain completely worn off even with her coaxing at him gently in a soft voice.

Even in pain, Kaguya managed to smile to herself as she took in Gaara's anxious looking expression. She had seen this expression before; it was years ago when they both met each other for the very first time on this manor's very rooftop. He had looked so lost back then and right now as well.

Sighing in defeat, Kaguya replaced Gaara's pillow with her legs, letting him rest his head on her thigh. Stroking his wild locks of flaming red hair in a soothing rhythm, Kaguya smiled and sang a lullaby, hoping to convince him that in this room it is quite safe for him to sleep, and that Shukaku won't be able to take over his body.

_Lacrimosa dies illa_

Upon hearing the first note of loveliness, an old memory of sort struck him in his mind. _This song… _Gaara thought…_ its familiar…_

_Qua resurget ex favilla_

Strangely and amazingly, the pain throbbing in his head slowly ebbs away, almost instantly relieving his pain. It was as if the song itself is a miraculous cure.

_Judicandus homo reus._

He felt himself going slack as he listened intently to her song. He allowed his feelings to take over and feeling himself unwinding and calm down as he focused entirely onto the lovely visage of Miyagusuku Kaguya.

_Huic ergo parce, Deus,  
Pie Jesu Domine_

Her long lashes fluttered open and revealed the deep dark Cherry Red orbs within them, the gold flecks surrounding her irises gave him such an illusion that he seemed to believe that it is swirling within her eyes. It is an enchanting sight to behold, and he had never seen anything more beautiful in all his life. It amazed him that such a horrific color would suit someone so well. It actually complemented her beauty, and that lovely pout of her lips seemed to draw him in as well.

Her siren-like voice continued to sing the lullaby and slowly lull him into sleep. _So beautiful… _Gaarathought to himself, admiring Kaguya from below as she continued to sing.

_Lalala lalala lalala la_

_Lalala lalala la lalala_

_Judicandus homo reus._

Her warm hands and nimble fingers gently workout the knots that had gathered around his forehead, face and shoulders, comforting Gaara in a way that continued to lull him to sleep. Relaxing his body, Gaara closes his eyes and let his mind wandered. Another flash of memories of him as a little boy and a long haired little girl holding a guitar-like instrument flashed in his mind…her dark little eyes watching the night sky and a lovely voice singing a piece of lullaby…

_Huic ergo parce, Deus,_

The lullaby Kaguya sings sounded so familiar he is somewhat convinced that this is the song he had desperately tried to remember in such a short span of time. The admiration he already had for the little girl who sings the lullaby confirms to him that the sudden strange feelings he had for the Feudal Princess Kaguya are no strange coincidence. He knew the lullaby that the little girl sings is the same one which Kaguya sings right now…

_Pie Jesu Domine._

"_I'm Kaguya by the way," _the memory of that night came back to him with a childish bell-like voice. "_Kaguya Miyagusuku. What about you?"_

Now that he had gotten a hold of his forgotten memories, everything started to make sense. "Kaguya…" Gaara slurred sleepily, the soothing song of lullaby finally appeased his nerves and coaxed him to no-man's land, his eyes nearly closed.

Stroking his hair soothingly, Kaguya whispered with a smile, "I'm here."

The last thing he sees before he drifted to slumber is Kaguya's eyes. They were such an entrancing sight that he couldn't help but to watch them until he finally closes his eyes.

* * *

"What actually happen here, Kaguya?" Temari said softly, her gaze steadily fixated upon the now slumbering Gaara. She has never seen Gaara sleeping before, and she now finds the sight of him actually resting for real rather comforting. She allowed herself to smile slightly, brushing his long red bangs away from her brother's face and allowed her fingers to linger on his forehead, tracing the word 'Ai' gently with her fingertips. Turning towards Kaguya, Temari placed her hand lightly on Gaara's shoulders and asked, "What is it, Kaguya-hime? Tell me."

Kaguya gave Temari a long understanding look. She knew that her concern for him is genuine; the fire in her eyes tells her too much of her protectiveness for her brother. Nodding towards Gaara, Kaguya explained, "There's a chamber down the hall in this manor. I suppose only Jinchuuruki can enter, but when I tried, there's always this painful repelling force that keeps me far away. I had no choice but to seal the chamber up. It's meant to be my one way out of this curse. Earlier, Gaara and one of my servant had a fight, and he accidentally blew up one part of the wall and…well...you could say that he had suffered the anti-Jinchuuruki wave with me. I couldn't seem to find the reason why this happens…"

"You seem to recover faster than he does," Kankurou said almost solemnly, his gaze fixated upon his slumbering brother.

Kaguya smiled bitterly. "Since I know that it's my one way out of the manor, I've been trying to force myself to enter it every day. The result gave me nothing, but since I've endured the pain almost every day, I seem to be able to withstand it better than first timers."

As Gaara drifted in and out of his consciousness wrapped up in cocoon-like warmth, he started to feel for his hand and fingers by flexing them almost feebly. He felt his hand and fingers glides upon soft silky surface of the coverlet covering him and the soft cotton-like underside of the coverlet. There's smoothness everywhere and he can't find a rough spot to grab on. Just then, his hand is held up and wrapped in a pair of soft warm hands, their fingers stroked the back of his hand rhythmically in a reassuring way, like that of a mother coaxing their children to bed during bad nights.

A moment passed by later when he felt the same warm hand softly smoothing back his fringes. Then the hand rested itself on his forehead fondly like the wind does to his hair, as if to check for signs of fever. The mere gesture was so peaceful and kind that he felt a strange sensation of contentment in his chest, of being under the care of these kind pair of hands. Don't they know that he's the much feared Jinchuuruki Sabaku no Gaara? He half wondered about it and continued to do so when the hand reached back and stroked his hair tenderly. He's murderous, and he kills without a blink of an eye. Everyone fears him, so how could these pair of hands strokes his head so willingly and fearlessly?

Half of him wondered about how they should be afraid of him, while the other half of him is pleased and thankful for not treating him like the monster he was once upon a time ago.

Then there are this familiar silly hisses and fierce whisperings happening nearby him. He couldn't quite put in his mind why they sounded so familiar; then the hissings got louder suddenly while the other party continued their fierce whisperings. It is as if there were two people debating over something in whispers instead of talking normally. _Well, good for them_ _then_, Gaara thought sleepily. _So sleepy… think I should go back to sleep... If they got any louder I'm going to try and murder them later…_

He started to snuggle deeper into his pillow, and that is when the thought of sleeping strikes him like a bolt of thunder.

Fear gripped his heart and wrenches on it tightly as soon as he realizes that he, the host for Shukaku, had actually slept. Snapping his eyes open, he bolted upright in a sitting position. He barely felt the sudden rush of blood and telltale dizzy feeling from the sudden movement when the very same pair of warm hands pushed him back onto the futon, a cold wet cloth dabbing on his forehead seconds later.

"I see that you're finally awake, Gaara-sama," a familiar voice said softly, one hand dabbing his forehead with the cold wet cloth while the other smoothed his red bangs back gently. "This room is full of seals that could keep the tailed-beast within you and I in a deep slumber. You could rest peacefully in here."

The pounding in his heart slowly came back down from their frenzied pumping earlier on when the shocking news that he had actually slept passed his mind. Tilting his head backwards slightly, he is greeted with the gentle eyes of Kaguya, smiling down at him and placing the wet cloth onto his forehead.

For a moment, he wondered why his pillow is so soft and warm. Not to mention that it actually moves slightly on a few occasions. He was just going to reach behind him and touch his pillow when Kankurou and Temari interrupted his ministration and squealed like a group of girls.

"Gaara!" both Temari and Kankurou chimed together in worried and excited giggles.

"You're awake!" Kankurou said happily. To Gaara's repulsion, his eyes glittered in glee.

"You're finally awake after a whole afternoon worth of worry!" Temari said, rolling her eyes while her voice betrays her relief. "God knows what happened here but…Oh My God! You're awake!"

Then she launches into her reprimanding mood that had him quietly rolling his eyes.

"How could you leave your work undone? Alright, maybe you deserve some break, but at least inform us of your whereabouts! You're the Kazekage! You're that important to the village!" reprimanded Temari angrily, annoyed at Gaara's favorite antics of wandering around the village without informing anyone.

"When we heard from the guards that the Kazekage hadn't come in for work Temari went into her worried frenzy mood," Kankurou said next, watching Temari rolling her eyes but not reaching for her iron fan. "Of course, I was worried too, but in a less girlish way like Temari's. I'm your brother, Gaara. The last time I stood by the sides I watched the bloody Akatsuki takes you away like you were some sort of burrito delivery!"

"Which sums everything up to 'We seriously don't want another kidnapper to kidnap you right in front of our eyes again' and right when I was away!" Temari interrupted, her eyes glaring at Kankurou and stares worriedly at Gaara. "Seriously! I am your big sister! Don't ever put my nerves into that kind of situation ever again, Gaara!"

It was then Kankurou's eyes glinted and turned into their signature eyebrow-twitching mode. "If you wanted to come up here and see Kaguya you could always just give me the eye twitching hint, ya know? Then there's the Council to worry about again. It was so convenient that almost every one of them passed by me and forced their daughter or grandaughter's portfolio onto my hands and asked me to deliver them to you. Since you had Kaguya here-" Kankurou nodded his head towards Kaguya's direction. "-My guess is that you won't need them to come up to the audition on 'Who wants to be the Kazekage's Wife' candidate competition. I personally find them ridiculous, so I threw them all into the nearest trash bin, but then there's the whole heir and wife thingy compulsory for a Kazekage and the piling paperworks-"

"Could you stop talking about work and let our little brother had his rest for the first time in his life!" Temari snapped, her glaring eyes glowed with annoyance at Kankurou. "Have some sense! Work something onto that head of yours! Gaara needs his rest!"

Rolling his eyes, Kankurou fired back. "All I know is that I'm talking about sense. I didn't do anything wrong. Yeah, I know he needed his rest, but he needed to know these things too-"

"You did wrong alright! You did it _every_ single time and I suppose that this is why you're still a Chuunin and not a Jounin!"

"Could you not always bring that crap up just so you could piss me off? It's frustrating!"

"Then be a Jounin to prove it and shut my mouth off!"

Smiling at both Temari's and Kankurou's antics, Kaguya changed the wet cloth on Gaara's forehead and stared down at him.

"How do you feel, Gaara-sama?" she asked him in a soft tone. Heaving a frustrated sigh, Gaara rubbed his hand on his forehead.

"My head hurts a lot, and I feel dizzy," he admitted truthfully, his eyes closed tightly when he felt another wave of pain flared up when he talked.

Normally, when he is attacked by a headache or a migraine, he would keep it quiet and swallowed a few cups of coffee to brush the pain off. Now that he's in the apothecary, he might as well admit it and find a new way to stop the headache effectively for good.

Kaguya smiled slightly. Pushing Gaara up slowly, Kaguya handed him a vial containing a yellow-molten liquid. "Drink this up," she said gently, helping him to uncork it and placed it to his lips. "It'll help to ease your headache. I promise the effects will be most satisfying."

Grasping the vial atop of Kaguya's hand, he gulped it down slowly and, almost immediately, the tremendous effects of the liquid remedy had on him are magnificent. His eyes widened in surprise as the headache and the dizziness that had plagued him disappears in an instant. The taste itself is a bonus; the concoction tasted amazingly delicious, as if he's swallowing the lovely smell of lilies instead of liquid. Its flavor lingers on his tongue long after he had finished the vial.

"How do you feel now, Gaara-sama?" she asked once again, her eyes staring at him in anticipation.

Eyes still wide open in surprise; Gaara turned towards her and told her what he felt. "Good," he said. "Very good. What is it actually?"

"It's actually the essence of Fire Lilies that are harvested when the dew water still hasn't dried up from the rising sun. It's perfect for migraines and dizzy spells. In fact, it's perfect for all sorts of aches. You'd find your previous aches healed after this," Kaguya explained, wringing out another piece of cloth and dabbing it onto his cheek. "Do you feel any more pain or something else anywhere? Are you thirsty? Do you need water, Gaara-sama?"

Gaara felt himself trying to smile, but he caught the sight of Temari eying him from the sides of his eyes and refrained from doing so. "I would like a dozen of that concoction you gave me, if that's possible. It'll help me a lot in my paperwork."

"Sure!" Kaguya chirped happily, pleased that Gaara had recovered entirely. "I'll just get it from the storeroom, if you would excuse me…"

Standing up, Kaguya left the room for more of the yellow-molten liquid remedy, leaving the three siblings to themselves. Soon after the door slides closed, Temari and Kankurou both fired off the 'secret mission' that they had just been dying to tell Gaara.

"Gaara! Marry her! Now!" said Kankurou in a serious tone, his eyes telling him that it is not a request, but an order from an older brother.

"No!" Temari exclaimed, pushing Kankurou out of the way. "Both of you should engage first! That'll shut the Council off. Make her the Bride first and introduce her to Suna and the whole Ninja Allegiance World. THEN get married and give them the Wife they wanted for so long!"

"Something's wrong with the council?" Gaara said dryly. Both of his older siblings nodded briskly.

"The way that Okawa said about the Miyagusuku's Hime is like she's some sort of contagious fatal disease or something," Kankurou told Gaara of his opinion. "He's trying to get the whole council on his side so that when you announce her to be your Bride, they'll protest and do those sorts of things old council people do. He's getting back at you from an angle, Gaara."

"Yeah," Temari nodded her head in agreement. "And they had decided that your random engagement is to be held within one week if you hadn't brought up a candidate to be your bride and wife. And for God's sake, I beg you Gaara, I'd rather have her-" Kankurou jerked her head towards the sliding door's direction, indicating Kaguya. "-than having the other council's close relative as my sister-in-law! God knows how dare they are when they're your wife later! They've started to _order_ me around now, for blasted sake's!"

It was then Gaara said anything before his siblings continued to babble onwards with the Council.

"But I don't love her," Gaara said innocently, his sky-blue eyes staring wide-eyed at his siblings.

Rolling his eyes, Kankurou said in a matter-of-factly tone, "But you liked her a lot didn't you?" When Gaara nodded once, Kankurou slapped his hands together in a loud 'clap!' and grinned. "Then that's alright then!"

"As long as you have felt something for her, my dear little brother, then everything is fine! In fact, it's more than fine! You can love her later after both of you are safely married."

Lips thinned into a thin line, Gaara said glumly, "She doesn't love me."

"And how do you know that?" Kankurou fired back.

Gaara shrugged. "She didn't tell me she loves me."

"You're being ridiculous, Gaara," said Temari curtly, ignoring the slight cringe from Gaara. "Of course she didn't tell you she loves you! You didn't even ask her!"

"Should I ask her then?" Gaara offered. Both siblings noticed the slight eagerness in his tone, which proves to be a good sign.

"No," Temari rejected his idea, again, ignoring his slight cringe in her tone. "I don't think you should do it. I should do it."

The door slides open and silenced the siblings instantly. Kaguya came in with a large glass pot filled with the delicious yellow molten liquid, marked with a 'Fire Lilies Essence' in bold letters right up the front of the glass pot.

"Here you are, Gaara-sama," Kaguya sets the glass pot carefully beside the futon. "It's sufficient to take it in a small amount. Just one teaspoonful of it is rather enough to take care of any pains."

"Thank you, Kaguya-hime" Gaara said politely. For once, he didn't dare to look up into her eyes for fear of the stupid blushing event coming right back up to his cheeks. Well, not after that kind of conversation he had with his siblings.

Smiling, Kaguya replied, "You're very much welcomed, Gaara-sama. Feel free to come to me whenever you feel any different from usual."

"I will," Gaara promised, his eyes casted interestingly on the glass pot.

Then Temari smiled widely.

One hand wrapped firmly on Kaguya's forearm, Temari smiled at Kaguya sweetly and said, "Ne, Kaguya-hime, would you come with me for a minute? I had something I wanted to ask in _private_."

Blinking in confusion, Kaguya answered confusingly, "Sure…

"Good." Temari said in relief then dragged her out of the sealed quarter, leaving the boys to stare.

Reaching a corridor, Temari released Kaguya's forearm and apologized.

"I'm sorry for dragging you out like that, but we really need to have a girl talk."

"That would be lovely," said Kaguya, not at all irritated at the pressured grip that Temari had applied onto her forearm. "What shall we talk about?"

"First and foremost, I'm going to say that I am a straightforward person. Anything on my mind, I will blurt it out before I know it, so I had to apologize first if I am to say anything rude later on. Are you still okay with it?"

"Yes," Kaguya replied simply with a smile.

"Now that's a good thing," Temari said thankfully. Taking a deep breath, Temari prepared herself for the question. "Okay, here I go. Are you sure you want to marry him?"

Kaguya frowned in confusion. "Marry who?"

"My brother, Gaara." Temari confirmed. "Are you sure about your decision and his proposals? I mean, as soon as he speaks of the proposal, you practically answered in less than a second. It's not like you don't know about his past monstrous self. He's Sabaku no Gaara, _the_ Sabaku no Gaara."

Kaguya smiled softly and said in a small voice. "You probably don't know about this, and my guess is that he doesn't remember it too." Pausing for a moment, she continued, her eyes staring off into place, "I I met him when I was 7, and I knew him since I was 7."

Flabbergasted, Temari gaped. "What?"

"I met him at the rooftop of my manor," she said, a smile grazes her lovely features. "I sung Lala's Lullaby."

"Lala's Lullaby?" Temari said with an eyebrow rose at the name of the unknown song. She knew Gaara likes to wander around when he was a child, but she didn't knew that he goes around at night to meet up with girls.

"I know he had forgotten about it," Kaguya started. "-since right after that night, from what I heard from people, he turned into a living killing machine. I waited for him, gathering information about him and sending Senri to see him, and I was happy when he changed after all of you came back from the Chuunin Exam. And then there was the escape of Uchiha Sasuke again, when no village is willing to lend their hands to Konoha and that only you three departed for Konoha to help them. I did nothing but worry for someone that has forgotten me. I know, it's stupid," she chuckled to herself, "but I can't help it. I can only do that since I'm confined to this manor's ground. It's useless, I know, but…I guess I really can't help it…"

Placing a hand on top of Kaguya's pale white hand, Temari squeezed her hand warmly. "Do you love him then?" Temari asked in a soft tone.

A slight blush crept over Kaguya's pale visage. Awkwardly, Kaguya smiled. "As fake as it would sound, I would say yes." Once again, her eyes had that faraway look in them as she continued, "Every day, I would sit on my rooftop and wait for him. I didn't know when it started, but what I know is that I love him. I would not hide my feelings. He's the person whom I am willing to lay down my life for."

Raising her head high with poise, Kaguya said to Temari assertively, "I love him."

Pleased at her confession, Temari patted Kaguya's cheek, "I can see that."

"And I can assure you that I am not just someone who merely confess while in truth were someone who is after his fortune." Looking around her manor, Kaguya confessed, "If it is about fortune, I dare say I have too many of them that it was beginning to prove to be quite a nuisance in the middle of an economic part of Suna."

Behind the closed shoji doors, the sudden thought about the familiar eyes and the little girl on the roof years ago just before he fell asleep with Kaguya's lullaby brought him into a new light.

"Kankurou," Gaara started suddenly, his eyes wide with the recollection of his memories years and years ago.

"Yeah?" said Kankurou, surprised. It was rare for Gaara to call his name. Usually his little brother would just speak out the point and leave his name out of it, and whenever he said his name, it would mean that it is something of real importance.

"I remembered something," said Gaara, his eyes wide with shock, turning his gaze towards Kankurou.

"What is it?"

"She's the one that sung Lala's Lullaby at the rooftop," said Gaara, dumbfounded.

A look of confusion flooded Kankurou's expression. "Sung what?"

The moment Gaara remembered her, his very being immediately filled with guilt. He had promised to return to her soon, and he had not kept that promise. She must have waited for him, and he remembered that after he carved the 'Ai' word onto his forehead he had always heard that song during nighttime, when the whole of Suna was sleeping except for him. She was singing for him…Calling for him…Letting him know that she's still there…

Still motionless in stupor, Gaara said in a small voice to him, "I never knew I was this blind. How can I not see that she and the little girl who sung on the rooftop were the very same person years ago…?"


	13. I Promise You, Kaguya

**Chapter 13**

**I Promise You, Kaguya**

The sound of a tea cup taking place on Gaara's table rang delicately in the Kazekage's office. "Your tea, Kazekage-sama," said one maid, bowing slightly at the young Kazekage respectfully.

Acknowledging the maid's presence, Gaara gave a nod and said, "Thank you," his deep voice resonates through his quite office. "You may take your leave."

Giving another low bow of respect, the maid quietly exited his office.

It is almost the end of the day, the hot sun starting to set across the lone quiet desert of Sunagakure. There are only a few paperwork's left to check over, and to sooth his aching muscles, he sipped his tea slowly, leaning back to his chair while enjoying the little moment he could spare himself with a well-deserved rest.

Gaara is not one to take tea often. He preferred coffee and caffeine over to that light beverage brewed from leaves. It was then his eyes caught sight of the glass pot that shaped almost like an average goldfish jar, full to the brim with the yellow molten liquid that smelled and tasted wonderfully of lilies. Kaguya had warned him that excessive caffeine and coffee for someone of his age is not healthy, and had pressed him to take strong tea instead. Strangely, he took her words earnestly.

Eying the pile of undone paperwork that looks more and more like a sinister pile of building completely made out of papers, he sighed to himself.

_The 'Prince of Sand' huh …?_ Gaara thought to himself.

**Duh**, Shukaku's grainy voice ranged in Gaara's head, comparable to the likes of a fly's wings. **Who else if it's not you? Whoever made that nickname of yours definitely made it sounds great huh? The Prince of Sand…The Prince!**

_Flashback To The Day Before…_

_Miyagusuku Manor_

_Near Evening_

"Here it is," said Kaguya, showing the Sand Siblings with one of her delicate finger raised to point at the riddle that is carved outside of the room that Gaara had destroyed earlier that afternoon. "The supposedly 'instruction' on how to enter the sealed room, the Carved Riddle; it has been there since 6 years ago."

Stepping up, Temari raised one of her hand and lightly brush the words with her fingers. While admiring the handiwork, Temari read them out aloud for her brothers to listen;

"**Be devoid of air and sight, **

**Walk assertively until five, **

**Hand in hand with the Prince of Sand,**

**Along with the Mirror of Dream in hand."**

"I have the said mirror in my possession right now," Kaguya said after Temari finished reading the riddle out loud. "It's a family heirloom, and since I am the last Miyagusuku, the mirror is passed down directly to m," pulling out something from within her robe, Kaguya gave Gaara a beautifully carved ornate mirror. It was made of a rare fragrant black wood and it is the very same one that he had seen when he had first seen Kaguya holding it in her hand the very first time he had an encounter with her on the rooftop of her manor. It looked every bit like a normal expensive hand mirror.

Except that it doesn't reflect back anything.

Kaguya allowed the Sand Siblings to admire the mirror and explained to them the use of the mirror. "The Mirror of Dream is not a mirror used to reflect one's reflection," she begun, as Gaara's fingers gently traced the curves and carvings on the hand mirror. "It does not reflect the images or the user in front of the mirror, but rather it reflects what the user of the mirror dreams."

Temari's eyebrow rose in question. "The user's dreams?"

Kaguya nodded in response. "Be it the dream that you envisioned you would obtain in the future or the dream that you have in your bed during nighttime slumber. As long as it is a dream, it will reflect itself when the mirror is in your hand."

"So that means," Kankurou said, realization dawned upon him. "If I dreamed of seeing Konoha in its present state, then that means I'll see it too?"

Kaguya gave him one single firm node. "Yes."

"So it comply wishes too," said Gaara, admiring the use of one such object that seemed so fragile and yet so useful at the same time. Kaguya merely smiled.

"Wishes and dreams are born from the same categories," she started out softly, "They are considered as siblings of the same mother."

"So who's their mother?" Kankurou asked out of curiosity.

Smiling, Kaguya replied, "Hope."

Gaara eyed her curiously. "Why is that so?"

"Only from hope does wishes and dreams are born. Without hope, there are no wishes and dreams. With hope, there is a way for life and pipe dreams to continue," Kaguya explained intelligently.

"I would be so proud to have such a smart sister-in-law," Kankurou said, his chest puffing out in pride. Elbowing his brother in the chest, Kankurou said impertinently, "Wed her as soon as possible, lil' bro'."

Temari scoffed and rolled her eyes in disbelief. "So that you can brag to that Narutard in Konoha isn't it?"

Kankurou pursed his lips. "Shit," he cursed. "You always know what I'm thinking!"

"This is not carved with any instruments," Gaara said suddenly, bringing his siblings attention back to the hand mirror in his hand. His fingers traced the mirror once again, remembering what the texture reminded him off. "This is burned by raw fire."

Confusions immediately flooded everyone's face at the same time. "How could a fire burn words into wood in such a clean manner?" Temari asked, taking the hand mirror into her own hands and traced it with her fingers just like what Gaara did. "As far as I know, fire tends to swallow everything flammable in seconds, especially when the material for burning involves fragrant wood. They're known to be a very good conductor of fire…"

"I don't know how this happens," Gaara started, having a slightly clear idea of how the carvings were burned. "But one thing certain is that this is definitely carved in by raw fire, not tools or sharp instruments, and to do so it needs a fire that is more special than anything we had ever seen in the shinobi world."

Kaguya understood immediately what Gaara is trying to say. "Maia," she mouthed the name to everyone.

_End of Flashback - Back to Present Time_

He somehow noticed that his mind tends to have a mind of their own, and that they would usually drifted to the dark-eyed beauty. He wanted to help her, but he knew his own capabilities are limited, and that he could only do so little to help her. If his Anbu guards had not appeared out of the blue and reported something urgent that requires his presence at the Kazekage manor, Kaguya would have long been set free of the curse that had bound her to her own manor.

He can't help but to think that there might be a reason as to why she would be put into such situation that prevented her from having the freedom to roam around Suna. The fact that Suna is a dangerous village is already a history, and now, there is only peace. Perhaps the one who had taken her freedom from her is someone who loved her.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden puff of smoke and the appearance of his ANBU bodyguard.

"I apologize for disturbing you at this time, Kazekage-sama," said the masked ANBU guard, kneeling on one knee in front of his desk as a sign of respect for the young yet powerful kage. Peeking from underneath his ANBU attire was the familiar brown folder used to contain confidential files.

"I see that you have found what I want, Yami," the young Kazekage addressed the ANBU with equal respect. The guard nodded in response before standing up from his kneeling position and fished out the sealed folder from within his cloth, placing it on top of the Kazekage's desk.

Gaara nodded to the guard before dismissing him as usual. The guard, knowing that the Kazekage preferred to work in silence, bowed in respect before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Gaara broke the seal upon the folder before sliding out its entire content, which is a thick pile of paper full of information's regarding a certain Radiant-Night Princess. He knew that he just might be rude, but he wanted to be able to be of help to the princess and to do so, he needed every information he could regarding her clan, and from what he knew, the curse of being locked in from freedom is done in by her grandfather.

After flipping for a while, he found what little information about Kaguya and her closest family. Thankfully, there are pictures attached to them.

**Miyagusuku-Ke** (A/N: Ke means family, or a clan)

The Miyagusukus are known for their duty as an apothecary and their superb skills in the arts of Kabuki, which they only perform when there are 'stubborn patients', as they called them, refusing to take medicines. They are extremely humble, and had existed since the first generation of the Kazekage. Their head of clan has been known to retain the position as the Head of the Council of Suna.

Miyagusuku Haruka  
D.O.B: 5th of January  
Age: Currently 68  
Status: Previous Head Clan of Miyagusuku and Head of Council. Currently missing. Rumors has it that when his granddaughter is still young, he intended to resign and pass the title as the Head of the Family and the Head Councilmen directly to his granddaughter, leaving out his son in the progress. There are rumors speculating of a massacre planned by his son, Miyagusuku Sai.  
Marital Status: Married. Deceased wife, Miyagusuku Hana.

Family: Miyagusuku clan (Birthclan), Shiratoe clan (In-laws), Miyagusuku Sai (Son), Miyagusuku Ayame (Daughter-In-Law), Miyagusuku Kaguya (Grandaughter).

Miyagusuku Sai

D.O.B: 14th of October  
Age:  
Status: Deceased. Put to death by his father for unknown reasons, believed to be being traitorous to the family and for trying to usurp the title of Head of Family from his father by sending assassins. Killed his wife out of anger by forcing her to consume poison. Known to be extremely violent and merciless. Unstable mental state. Not a proper being to be a head of family, which is possibly the reason for his death.  
Marital Status: Married. Deceased wife, Miyagusuku Ayame.  
Family: Miyagusuku clan (Birthclan), Shiratoe clan (In-laws)

Miyagusuku Ayame

D.O.B: 23rd of April  
Age: 25.  
Status: Deceased. Poisoned. Known to have an abusive husband, who frequently hits her and going as far as to rape her. Her father is a drunkard in the Shiratoe-clan, and is forced to leave by the Shiratoes. She chooses to follow her father and abandoned her love and fiancé. Her father sold her to Miyagusuku Sai, who had taken note of her family background and forced her to marry him. She later bore a child for him, Miyagusuku Kaguya, and is then pronounced by the physician to be barren for life, a result from being abused by her husband when she is still pregnant. She is well loved by Miyagusuku Haruka.

Marital Status: Married. Deceased husband, Miyagusuku Sai.

Family: Shiratoe Clan (Birthclan), Miyagusuku clan (In-Laws).

Miyagusuku Kaguya

D.O.B: 29th of October  
Age: 17.  
Status: Alive. Current Head of the Miyagusuku clan. She is a cousin of the Head of the Shiratoe clan.

Marital Status: Single.

Family: Miyagusuku clan (Birthclan), Shiratoe clan (Relative on her mother's side of the family)

Not much is known about Kaguya's history, except that she is 17 and born on the 29th of October. He is surprised that she is the relative of the legendary clan, the Shiratoes, as they were known to be the only neutral clan that is well protected by something otherworldly, and from what he knew, they owned 3 mountains, known famously as the Mist Mountain, a deadly and fatal place. No one returned alive to tell the tale of what actually dwells within.

There is a picture attached to the folder marked with a plain 'MIYAGUSUKU-KE' in kanji. It is dog-eared, worn and old, most probably taken a long time ago. He turned the picture around and read the inscription written behind it. The date marked that the photo was taken more than 10 years ago.

The picture was taken with the whole family members of Miyagusuku clan. Everyone smiled happily into the picture, giving him the image that the family members appears oblivious to the turmoil brewing within the then father of Kaguya. Then he saw her – the familiar pretty little girl he had seen on the rooftop – Kaguya. She looked so very young then, clutched a beautiful woman's thigh with one hand while the other gave a peace sign happily, his lips twitched slightly at Kaguya in the photo. How innocent and naïve she must have been back then. She looked so happy and eagerly into the camera. She probably didn't even know that her father is plotting for a massacre. Sai was glaring into the camera, as if hoping to burn the image of him scowling into the camera. If he was, then he had succeeded.

The Kaguya now hadn't looked so different back then; she was a little miniature version of herself. The smile on her face is now far softer and gentler, giving her a warmer and caring appearance. Even at a young tender age, her beauty had started to flourish, matching the beautiful woman by her side. He knew without having to check the papers on the identity of the beautiful woman by her side.

That beautiful woman who resembled Kaguya strongly in the eyes area is definitely Kaguya's mother, Ayame.

**Rejoice!** Shukaku exclaimed suddenly, surprising even Gaara himself. **For both of you have another thing in common! Quite the looker even when young and no mother at a young age! Plus, both of your mothers are beautiful chicks!**

_Shut up._

He didn't sound happy when he successfully piped Shukaku down. It was not a thing to be celebrating and be happy about when all they had in common is an agonizing past. Hell, the only thing they have in common couldn't even serve as a topic to fuel more conversations! He cannot imagine himself asking her stupid questions, which he is sure would do more harm than good.

Then there is the whole marriage and producing an heir thing from the councils. How annoying they have become lately, and how brave they have become; going so far as to dare to suggest their own blood relatives to be his bride; didn't they know that he is a dangerous monster who could kill someone in less than a second? Or have they forgotten that he used to be a killing machine?

**You could remind them how cruel you are a long time ago, having so much fun squeezing those bags of blood around.**

_Shut up._

**And there you go with the 'shut up' issues again.**

Then there was Councilmen Okawa. He knew he had to deal with him soon. Perhaps he'll call for a meeting soon enough after this. He definitely didn't want a bride suggested from the Council. Nop. He wants one of his own choosing, and right now, he so wanted Kaguya to be his.

Lucky him, it seems as if Kaguya loves him. For the moment, he couldn't grasp what love is between lovers, but he knew he'll understand it. He can't even differentiate between what's like and love. Maybe what he felt for her is love, but so far, he can't be sure of it.

If his bride is Kaguya; then everything will be fine, because Temari claims that Kaguya told her that she loves him.

But how much does she love him? Did she love him for his position? Or was it his looks? Or perhaps it was his heroic save of the village a while ago?

But whenever he thought about the little girl who doesn't even show him an ounce of fear when he is near her, and instead showed him just how kind a human can be and how mesmerizing a song would be if it is sung in the night, he didn't care at all whether she loves him truly or not. She has shown him kindness, and he had broken his promise to return to her after that due to some inevitable events. Now, he wanted to be the one to repay her kindness, and to keep his promise.

Finishing his last paperwork for the day, he quickly exited the Kazekage's office to avoid more paperwork pinning him to his chair and strode straight to the Miyagusuku manor, where he knew his siblings had waited him there to free the princess from her cage. Before that, he stopped by his secretary's table and dropped a request.

"Please inform the Council that a meeting is to be held 2 days from now at midday."

Summoning his sand and fetching up his gourd, Gaara used his jutsu and transported himself to the grounds of the Miyagusuku Manor.

Let him be the one to repay her kindness once upon a time ago.

****

The first thing that greeted him when he entered her manor is her wide delighted smile, flashing him her dimples. Kaguya is pleased at seeing him appearing on her doorstep with such precise timing and punctuality. She had practically dash out of her own room when she felt him approach her doorstep, awaiting his arrival patiently with a cup of tea specially brewed for him. The tea was so fragrant that he might just as well be drinking a bottle of lily perfume, yet sweet and soothing at the same time. It soothes his building headache almost immediately, and he sighed with relief.

"I now know how to free myself," said Kaguya, taking the empty cup from Gaara's hand and refilling it with yet another cup tea, the same special brew from her transparent porcelain teapot. "It might sound absurd, but I need your help to accomplish that absurdity, Gaara-sama. I hope you will help me reach my dream."

Gaara nodded once after another sip of the wonderful brew. "I will do my best, Kaguya-no-Ue. I owe you one."

He wanted so badly to know about her family background. He wished to ask her about it, and then he remembered something Kaguya had told him about it not long ago that she is not entirely sure about the genuineness of her own memories. He didn't want to trouble her with the prospect of wanting to know more by asking her directly. He'll decide if it's a right thing to ask her once he had aided her in getting what she wanted so desperately from the sealed room. For now, he shoved all other thoughts to the back of his mind and focuses on his current task ahead of him.

That is, until he saw her frown in the most adorable way.

**My my, **Shukaku skipped to the front of his mind.** You find her adorable. Hey! Kaguya-chan! Gaara-chan here finds you adorable! He says you're adorable!**

Gaara nearly gave himself away by widening his eyes.

_Shut up!_

**Not in a million years, boy! This is so much fun! Kaguya-chan! Hey! You can hear me can't you!**

"Please, Gaara-sama," Kaguya implored, not appearing to have heard what the One-Tailed Beast had said. "Call me Kaguya. You and your siblings are not obliged to address me with such formalities. You are, afterall, the Kazekage."

Gaara blinked in response out of surprise. He had thought that she would be able to hear Shukaku's thoughts. It seems that she had focused her attention on something else other than paying attention to Shukaku's random talking. Silently, he is grateful for her effort.

"Then you might as well call my name without the titles too, Kaguya," Gaara replied, keeping his light-colored eyes on her. "This whole honorific thing doesn't appeal to me much, more so to my future bride."

Kaguya smiled at his reply, a light pink blooming over her pale features. "I'm afraid I must beg to be excused from your wish, Gaara-sama," said Kaguya respectfully, bowing her head towards Gaara's direction. "It will brew unpleasant rumors should I start calling you without the honorifics. People will think that I am being impolite to the Godaime Kazekage-sama," she explained truthfully.

Gaara directed his gaze to the tatami floor, finding her explanations amenable, and yet at the same time he felt a slight disappointment. He would have liked very much for her to call his name without honorifics. It would have made them sound so much closer than what they already are.

"If that is what you wish, Kaguya," he replied quietly, unable to keep the disappointment out of his voice. Kaguya smiled thoughtfully at him.

For a while, none of them said another word. Kaguya continued to refill Gaara's cup of tea while he continued to sip it slowly, enjoying the unique blend of herbs and tea leaves. Then a thought resurfaced from the back of his mind.

"That reminds me one thing," Gaara said suddenly, out of the topic and out of the blue, making Kaguya frowned a little in confusion. "I just want you to know that I remembered you."

Kaguya's head tilting prompt him to continue.

"Several years ago, we've met on the rooftop. I remembered you from there when we were still young," continued Gaara, his voice held a tinge of guilt in them as he sets down his now empty cup. "You were singing, and I promised to come back but I didn't, and I am sorry."

Kaguya is surprised at Gaara's display of guilt and expression of regrets. She had sincerely thought that he had forgotten all about their old encounter, but when he said he remembered them, she felt truly surprised by it.

Unsure of what to say, Kaguya opened her mouth to say something, only to close it again and directed her gaze to somewhere else. A blush crept over her lovely visage when she realized that she might have just looked like a fool in front of him when she did that.

Finally, after a long pregnant pause of silence, Kaguya said slowly and sincerely, "Don't be sorry, Gaara-sama. It's fine." Noticing Gaara's gaze still directed down upon the tatami floor, Kaguya continued, a smile on her face. "Being my very first friend, you kept your promise till the end. I thank you for that."

Gaara balked slightly at what he had heard. She's expressing her gratitude to him?

"I did?" he remarked in shock. "But I thought-"

"You're here now," interrupted Kaguya, effectively silencing his further babblings. "-and I am grateful for that. There is a time when I almost gave up hope on ever encountering you again, but it turns out that it's a wrong thought now that you are here." She placed a hand on Gaara's much larger ones, keeping him relax and still. He couldn't help the thought that came to his mind right at that moment that her hand looks so laughably small comparing with his. "I thank you for coming back to me."

"I promise you, Kaguya," Gaara said in a solemn tone. "I swear, I won't ever leave you unless you specify the opposite. I will uphold my promise until the end of time."

Shyly, Kaguya smiled back at him. "I know you would."

Kankurou and Temari sneakily watches on while both Kaguya and Gaara conversing respectfully with each other. When Gaara looked panicked and ready to balk, Kaguya places a hand over his to steady him and keep him in place, smiling reassuringly. Temari sighed, as if a heavy burden has been removed from her shoulders. _Finally_, she thought to herself._ That boy could finally accept other's touch readily. _

The remaining Suna Siblings had different expression on their faces; one had a dreamy, sisterly smile on her face while other looks quite excited from the unfolding scenes.

"Oh," cried out Kankurou excitedly, rubbing both of his hands together. "Here comes my chance to interrupt a couple's lovey dovey moment! My brother! Here I come-"

Temari smacked the back of his head with her fan instinctively.

"Oww!" howled Kankurou like an animal in pain, not knowing that his loud yowl had effectively interrupted both Gaara and Kaguya's moment. He glared at his sister angrily, "Now why'd you do that for!"

"This is not just some random 'lovey dovey'-" Temari made a mocking sign with her fingers to taunt Kankurou, "-couple that you could just waltz in and start your stupid topics. Don't be so childish, Kankurou. Grow up!"

"What is wrong with wanting to make her feel like part of the family?" Kankurou moaned alarmingly, surprised and shocked that Temari had said he is childish. "Besides, she _is_ going to be my sister-in-law soon-"

"And that doesn't make you have any more rights than I to disturb the little time they had with each other," Temari said disdainfully, annoyed at Kankurou's lack of consideration. Rolling her eyes, she continued, muttering to both herself and Kankurou. "Lucky you and I that Gaara knew her at all, or else you would be facing a total stranger who cannot even look at your brother without crying."

"I know this might sound unusual, coming from me, but I'm afraid I would need your family heirloom for assistant," Gaara said aloud, a sign for his elder siblings to save their arguments for later or to face his wrath, having heard everything with his sharp ears. They silenced immediately and turned serious, stepping forward and stood side by side behind Gaara's back.

Kaguya nodded before drawing out a black and carved hand mirror from within her long sleeves, handing it carefully to Gaara with both hands. "The riddle says to '_be devoid of air and sight_'," she remarked when she saw Gaara tracing the carved riddle once again. "Is it to mean that we have to walk without breathing and seeing?"

"Yes," the Kazekage replied certainly. "Then we have to hold our hands and walk for five steps with the mirror in our hands."

There was an evident red blooming steadily on Kaguya's cheek, amusing Kankurou greatly. "H-hand in hand? Really?" she stuttered, surprised at Gaara's request.

Gaara turned around, his expression usual pokers face. "The riddle did say so," Gaara added. "In fact, I began to realize that this is not a riddle at all."

"It couldn't be a poem, right?" Temari suggested.

"Or even a love confession perhaps?" Kankurou provided his options, not willing to be left out.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"I am sure that whomever who dared to inflict a scratch upon the wooden poles of this manor wouldn't be half as stupid as you to even _want_ to confess to a wooden pole," Temari said disdainfully, secretly taking great pleasure at Kankurou's gradually reddened ears.

"I'm sure he did make a point, Temari-dono," Kaguya said shortly, trying to defend Kankurou's ideas from being ridiculed.

"You see!" Kankurou exclaimed gratefully, one hand gesturing towards Kaguya. "This is what a family ought to do! Not taunting and teasing others just because they didn't give out a brilliant enough idea…" He continued in a murmur, letting it trailed away.

"Kankurou-" Temari begun, but was intercepted by Gaara's yet another warning tone.

"I think it's a way on how to enter the room." Gaara said stonily, a glare directed towards both Temari and Kankurou, effectively silencing them for the second time.

"Why would someone want to carve an instruction on such expensive wood?" Temari said out aloud, allowing her thoughts to drift. "It's like following an order. Wouldn't it be easier for intruders to just walk in and steal whatever that room is protecting if those instructions are there? And they are so easy to follow too…"

"Kaguya is not a kunoichi," said Gaara in a matter-of-factly tone. "We shinobis' are used to 'feel' our surroundings even if we can't see them. We can feel our ways in the dark, as our senses are greatly heightened when we begun our training as shinobis. But Kaguya here," Gaara said, gesturing towards her. "-is an aristocrat. She never went to the academy, nor did she ever step out of her manor for all these years. She is just a normal person with normal senses. It would be hard for her to walk with her eyes closed while holding her breath. That's why she needed me and our assistance."

Kaguya nodded solemnly. "That is correct," she agreed. "I am not trained to be a kunoichi, nor am I accustomed to walk around with my eyes closed and relying on my senses alone. Such a task would sound impossible to me."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Moving forward, Kaguya observed the carved words carefully once again.

"However," she started. "I cannot help but to consider what Temari-dono had just said." Turning around, she faced the trio and continued. "I am to assume that the room is designed only for jinchuuruki to enter, or else, like Temari-dono had said earlier, intruders would have just walked in and took what the room is protecting. I believe that others could not see the interior of the room, and that all you could see is complete blackness, while to Gaara and I, we would be able to see the real content of the room."

"That makes sense," Kankurou said, nodding in agreement. Temari rolled her eyes at the sight of her brother's constant nodding.

"Be devoid of air and sight," she read softly, turning her back against the trio and focuses on the riddle-instruction. "Walk assertively until five. Hand in hand with the Prince of Sand, along with the Mirror of Dream in hand."

Kaguya jerked in surprise when Gaara's hand wrapped around her own, handing the hand mirror to her. She immediately looked guilty at having jerked when he touched her. Gaara ignored that issue and wrapped her small hand around the handle of the hand mirror.

"My guess is that you have to hold the mirror in one hand while holding my hand in the other," Gaara explained, not looking at Kaguya, a slight pinkish color blooming steadily across his fair visage. Kaguya smiled shyly at Gaara's forwardness, and immediately apologize with a slight bow of her head.

"I'm sorry for my behavior earlier," she said softly, a tinge of guilt in her voice. "Never in my entire life have a man touched me...I'm just not used to the feeling of it…"

"Then you might as well start to get used to it quickly then, sister-in-law," blurted Kankurou. Everyone snapped their heads to look at him, who grinned at the sight of the happy occasion. "Coz my little brother's still a growing teenager with loads of raging hormones. He's gonna touch you a lot from now on," Kankurou continued to chirp happily, not realizing that the redness on Kaguya's cheeks started to look like a blotch of red paint splashed on her.

Then a smack landed on Kankurou's head, courtesy from Temari's large iron fan.

"Baka!" Temari shouted shrilly at her brother's ultimate display of stupidity. "Couldn't you just save this conversation when you're back in your own room!"

"Kankurou!" Gaara angrily cried out, trying his hardest to keep the blood from rushing to his cheek and neck. He is unaccustomed to such embarrassing moments. Never in his whole life had his brother openly embarrasses him in public. Well, not really public, but he embarrasses him right in front of his future bride-to-be! It's so humiliating that he had to use all of his will power to stop himself from sending his brother flying out into the street.

One look at Gaara and Temari's livid face, Kankurou immediately sobered up and become quiet with an almost inaudible "Gomenasai…"

**That brother of yours had one hell of a mouth, boy**, said Shukaku, appearing out of the blue from the back of Gaara's mind.** Gotta be careful not to spill any secrets to him or you'll just find your secrets being circulated down the street hours later.**

_Thanks for the reminder._

**You're always welcomed, boy. Although I would like it a lot if you would just give me a reward or two for the favor…**

Shukaku let his voice trailed behind, but when there is absolutely no response from his host, he huffed angrily and went back into his own little world behind Gaara's mind with an audible "**Fine!**"

There were a lot of blabbers of 'sorry' and 'my stupid brother' from the remaining Suna Siblings and an equal amount of 'It's okay' and 'Really, truthfully, it's fine' from Kaguya herself, but after a while, every noise died down and they were back on track with the original topic.

"Hime," Gaara's hand extended out to Kaguya, beckoning her to take his hand. Placing her hand gingerly into Gaara's much larger one and fighting her blooming blush, both of them walked towards the large wooden door. It seemed to loom over the jinchuurukis in a menacing way, giving them the feeling that what is kept sealed behind the door doesn't want any tailed-beast's host's near them.

Still, Kaguya wishes to be free from the confinement of her own residence. For years she had lived in solitude, away from the world and society, all the while believing what she believes to be true. She knew, the true truth lies behind the room and she knew, if she stepped forward, everything will start to move forward, and will no longer be frozen in her confined time and space. She knew, and she braved herself to move forward for the sake of her sanity.

Giving Kaguya's hand a little squeeze, Gaara pushed open the door as both he and Kaguya prepared for the worst pain in their life.


	14. Memories in a Vial

**Chapter 14**

**Memories in a Vial**

The door opens with a loud and noisy creak; the sound of it reverberates and echoes around the small sealed chamber. It was dark and cold, and there was this peculiar echoing sound of glass being rubbed together, creating a friction of humming vibration in the center of the room. It was soothing, the sound piercing right into their souls, but yet at the same time it sounded terrifyingly discomforting.

As with the riddles, Gaara and Kaguya walks five steps forward tentatively, their eyes closed and holding their breath as thought their lives depended on it. Gaara's warm hand squeezed Kaguya's gently, reassuring her that everything is fine. He almost smiled when he felt her tremble so much at having to close her eyes and walk at the same time into a dark place where she didn't even know what's waiting for them inside. She must have felt so much fear, and yet for her freedom and the want to know the truth about her family's sudden disappearance, she forces herself to move forward.

But when Gaara held her hand, she stopped trembling and moved fluidly forward with him, which pleases Gaara a lot.

The moment they entered the room, both Gaara and Kaguya felt the presence of their tailed beast slips away from them, as if they never existed in the first place. The instructions were plainly straightforward it might as well be screaming for them that there are no dangers ahead of them at all, and after a moment of composing themselves – Kaguya's case especially – both felt that this is the easiest task ever. Lucky them, at that moment, Temari is busy glaring at Kankurou and gripping her iron fan tightly in one hand, daring Kankurou to surprise the two couples with suggestions of deadly vipers or spiders littering the chamber's floor, or else one of them might be jumping in alert and ruined the breaking of Kaguya's confinement to the Miyagusuku's ground.

They took their first breath of air after the fifth steps, feeling a sudden rush of peace and complete protection from the expected pain and open their eyes. The first thing they noticed is the smell; it was oddly weird to find the sweet, candy-like smell of sunflowers within this confined room. Both jinchuuruki frowned at the thought of sunflowers growing in this room, but as soon as the thought passed through their minds, the room suddenly burst into light by a small hole in the center of the room's roof.

Everyone is immediately sent into battle mode, preparing for whatever outcome there is from entering the chamber. Gaara had one of his arms thrust out in front of Kaguya, protecting her from whatever it is that could possibly harm her. The final piece of the roof crumbled away into a neat circle after a while, as if someone had them cut from above using a knife.

Sunflowers; dozens of them are growing around a crystal podium standing in the middle of the room, where the lights hit directly upon them. The flowers, upon sensing lights, moved in an unnatural way and faced the light. There, snuggling in a bowl of crystal clear water is a familiar vial of the essence of cactus flower, its significant glow of molten yellow seemingly swirled innocently within them, promising nothing with nothing.

"This is definitely not what I have expected in the first place," said Kaguya a moment later, eyes staring into the vial in a disappointed way. "I was hoping that there might be something more majestic or just a plain piece of letter explaining everything…"

Gaara amicably moved forward first, keeping Kaguya behind him while still holding onto her hand. He finds her hand comfortingly warm, boosting his confidence in the midst of everything happening only seconds apart from each other. Despite feeling uneasy after everything, he didn't seem to like the idea of Kaguya getting hurt first. He summed it up as his manly ego flaring up, keeping them at the back of his head. Right now, his utmost concern is to get her wish fulfilled, and then everything else would soon follow in peace.

His hand reached out slowly towards the vial. He lifted the vial from the bowl of water easily and waited for something to happen.

A while passed, and nothing happened.

Kaguya came up from behind him and looked into the bowl of water previously held the vial. There were etchings on the side of the bowl, and a word '_Memory'_ is painted in golden kanji letters.

"And I certainly didn't expect someone to extract their memory and store it here either…" Kaguya continued to mumble, her hand reaching for the vial in Gaara's hand, who gave her obligingly.

"I never heard of something like this," Gaara said, gesturing to the vial of memory, watching intently as it swirled and casting different light into ever direction in Kaguya's hand. Kaguya smiled up at him.

"You might have never heard of it before, but it does exist; only it's not a subject everyone favored. It's quite powerful, and can be a very damaging spell since anyone who got hold of the memory can do anything they want with it, including commanding the owner of the memory through the vial. It's more or less like extracting a part of your soul to record your memory in them, with the exception that the owner of that particular memory remembers everything despite having extracted it and seals it in a vial."

"What are you going to do with it then?" Gaara asked her in a low voice, eying the vial with distrust.

Kaguya looked into Gaara's eyes. Despite his poker face, he looked so worried, and eyed the vial as if it's going to explode any moment. She finds this an extremely sweet act, and gripped his hand, reassuring him in her own way.

"I'm going to drink it, and I'm going to be fine," said Kaguy, smiling at him in a reassuring way. "This is someone's memory, and I believe there must be a reason why that someone leaves their memory in such a place."

"Suppose that this vial is poisonous-"

"It won't be," Kaguya intercepted him in mid-sentence, her eyes firm with belief. "The storage of a memory cannot be tainted with poison. It would have rot from the toxic as soon as it came into contact with the poison. This vial of memory is in perfect condition. I believe it won't harm me bodily."

She could observe the changes in Gaara as she tries her best to convince him of her choices. The muscles on his jaws seemed to flex repeatedly, as if he is gritting his teeth just so that he won't blurt out his next protest. Kaguya heaved a small sigh as she ran her free hand on his smooth jaws, smoothing out his worries.

"I trust in my field of knowledge," Kaguya said, referring to her field of expertise. "I hope you will trust me in my choice too, Gaa-sama."

Gaara placed his hand on top of her smaller hand, loving the feel of the warmth in her hand. He wanted the moment to last forever, and if possible, he wanted so much to preserve his feeling; he felt so at home whenever he's with her, and he truly felt belonged for the second time in his life. Once was when he came back from death, waking up to so many people cheering for his awakening; the second time is right at this moment, with her looking into his eyes, assuring him in her very own Kaguya-ish way. He wanted her to be safe, and despite wanting so much to please her and agree to her choice, he couldn't help but to feel something from the vial. For a moment, he's not sure whether Kaguya could handle the truth at all.

For a moment, he wanted to wrench the vial of memory from her hand and smash it on the wall.

He didn't get to accomplish any of his desires, because Kaguya had already uncorked the vial's cork and placed the vial to her lips tenderly, careful of splashing the content.

His heart stopped right then and there, and he waits, watching her intently for any signs or changes.

She took one swig at the vial's content and waited for the effect. She looked at Gaara, then at the vial then back at Gaara once again.

Nothing happened.

Before she could utter a word about it to the redhead, her brain starts to register the uncomfortable feeling in her body, which happened out of the blue. She brought a hand to her forehead to try and quell the feeling and vaguely felt her world tilt forward. She felt someone put their arms around her and held her, keeping her steady as her vision and world swam before her very eyes. She forces herself to look up to Gaara, feeling as if a ton of brick had been set atop of her head and had to strain her muscles to do lift her head. Her eyes registered the swirling Gaara, face anxious and mouth moving frantically in a repeated motion, as if repeating a phrase, possibly her name. The sight of a swirling Gaara made her even more nauseous, and she quickly shuts her eyes to all vision.

Then a splitting pain erupted in her head. It had come unexpectedly; without warning, all of a sudden, abruptly, swiftly and it came rapidly. She did not prepare herself for such a result, and her body wouldn't pull itself together and act accordingly like someone who is in an intense pain. She choked back a scream and focused on gripping her head hard, hoping that her actions would diminish the sudden blooming pain happening right inside of her head, threatening to pull her mind apart.

As suddenly as it came, the pain diminished.

She opened her eyes and finds herself looking at things in a clearer vision. She realized that she knew about it, about the truth. She knew every answer to every question, and she knew about the truth and the lies, distinguishing them as if she had known about it all these while. There was no pain, there was no fear, and there was no more confusion.

All she has is utter understanding.

Whispering, Kaguya rephrased the phrases quietly, as if reciting them from a long time memory, "Be devoid of air and sight, and walk assertively until five, hand in hand with the Prince of Sand, along with the Mirror of Dream in hand."

"_And you will accomplish everything in the end,"_ a deep, familiar voice sounded in her ear. Flashes of images that feels right and yet not making any senses started to fill her mind, overlapping the memories she have about the past right now as her brain sorted out the lies, the fakes and the truth. For a long while, her eyes kept staring into a fixed spot, seemingly frozen in a trance as her brain struggles with all the new information's about her past life and the answers to all her questions.

"_I will be waiting for you, Kaguya,"_ she heard an old voice said, it's grainy voice vibrating in her ear, sounding so much like her grandfather. _"You will find me at the end of the sunflower field across Suna. So long as I am there, no one will harm you."_

"Grandfather…" Kaguya whispered, her eyes still staring fixedly at the wall, oblivious to Gaara's efforts to shake her out of her reverie.

"What?" Gaara demanded, frowning from worry. "Kaguya, tell me, what is it! What's happening to you? Are you alright?"

She had suddenly collapsed right in front of him and turned an unhealthy color of green. When she regained her consciousness shortly afterwards, her hand immediately held her head and closed her eyes tightly, as if she is in some sort of pain. He felt so helpless at seeing her in such a condition. He realized that his siblings, who are currently busy bickering outside of the entrance, couldn't hear or see them in any way or they would have stepped into the room and helped him when Kaguya collapsed. For once, his instinct didn't help him.

"_I now confine you to the Miyagusuku grounds, Kaguya-chan" _said the old voice in her head, its booming voice an echo behind her ear. "-_and you are not to go one step out of it. I will continue to live my life at the edge of Suna in the sunflower field until you free yourself from your confinement. This will ensure your protection till the day you come of age and return to find me there. There, I will wait for you, and I will tell you everything in precise detail when you are ready."_

Tears started to stream down her eyes, an overwhelming sense of sadness and sorrow taking over her. All she had known for all these while are a mere trick of her grandfather, who had modified her memories in order to protect her. She had watched him walk away from her life just so she could grow up safely and away from all the blood and murders and politics. Her grandfather had left her in the safe hands of the Miyagusuku servants and walked away from her life just so she could be spared from having to grow up with the knowledge that her father is her mother's murderer. For all these while, her aged grandfather lived far away from the Miyagusuku manor. For all these while, her old grandfather lived alone. For all these while, knowing that her grandfather being alive and the memory she has gotten back from the vial gave her the new truth about the old man awaiting for her to fetch him home came to her mind, she couldn't help but to let the tears fell from her eyes freely, weeping sorrowfully into Gaara's warm embrace.

For once, she allowed herself to cry her heart out in front of someone.

Finally, the truth; finally, the end to all lies; finally, she had someone out there waiting for her; finally, those long life of living in solitude as the last living member of the Miyagusuku clan ended. Her memories came back, and so does her freedom.

****

When Temari and Kankurou finally registered the crying sounds came from the sealed room, they looked in and surprises themselves with the sight of a crying Kaguya and Gaara, who is currently consoling her by patting her back gently.

Naturally, they freaked and froze.

Their brother is never a person who's fond of showing any sorts of emotions. Hell, he didn't even know how to smile, let alone consoling some crying girl! But when they looked closely, Gaara is mouthing reassuring words constantly, albeit in an awkward way, stroking Kaguya's long hair in a soothing way.

They began to see the utter goodness with Kaguya marrying Gaara. She could do him plenty of goodness. He needed them as the Kazekage of Suna. For the people to trust him, he needed someone to stand behind him and by his side facing the good and the worst together. For all they know, he might have needed someone like that by his side.

For all they know, he might have needed her more than she needs him.

Scooping her up into his arms, Gaara lifted Kaguya with ease. After making sure that she is cradled snugly in his arms, the young Kazekage strode out of the sealed room with his bride-to-be. The sunflowers have already wilted, the huge flowers bowing downward pitifully as the spell lifted around them. The mirror lay on the side of the crystal podium, cracked and broken along with the flowers around it. The spell is effectively lifted and broken.

"What happened?" Temari asked anxiously, worry painted on every inch of her face when Gaara steps out of the room with a weeping Kaguya in his arms.

"She regains her suppressed memories," Gaara said simply, continuing to walk towards the front door.

"…-at the end of Suna, the cottage in the sunflower field…" Kaguya mumbled into Gaara's neck as her tears continued to flow, soaking his robes while her arms latch tightly onto his robes and neck. "There, he awaits me…to find him…the sunflower field…"

"We'll find him," Gaara assured quietly, walking past his siblings and motioned for them to follow him. "We'll find him for sure, Kaguya. I will make sure of it. I promise you that, Hime."

Gaara is certain that she is now capable of leaving the Miyagusuku grounds since she had regained her memories. The curse shows signs of being lifted by the looks of the wilted sunflowers and the cracked hand mirror. Even the poem carved upon the wood disappeared without a trace. Surely, she is freed…?

Slowly, Gaara walks out of the Miyagusuku main door. One step at a time, one by one, he counted his footsteps. As he came closer to the boarder ground where Kaguya is not allowed to step over, Kaguya lifted her head up to look at him through her glistening lashes.

"Thank you, Gaara-sama," she said softly, her breath leaving a tingling sensation on his jaws and neck. For such a short amount of time, she has begun to be able to influence him both physically and mentally, and he had allowed it. He couldn't help but to feel that the feelings he had for her were genuine, despite the fact that he did not truly realize them yet. "You've done so much for me… and now I am indebted to you…"

He glanced down at her and saw that she is smiling at him in an utterly heartbreakingly beautiful way. "It is my duty as the Kazekage to take a bride of my own choosing," Gaara said in a humorless way. He raked his brain for something to say, but his mouth just wouldn't stop babbling something formal and sounding so odd at the same time. "I choose you, and so you are under my obligations to protect as my future bride, as well as helping you with any trouble that arises whether they are from your doing or not."

Kaguya smiles at him and laid her head back on his shoulder, sighing in bliss for her freedom and sadness from her regained memories. Those memories have returned to her, and they were so very sad that she couldn't help but to feel her heart break with just a mere thought. Her grandfather's so selfless. He has a manor, influence, high social standing in the politics and such ridiculous amount of wealth. Yet, for her sake, he had thrown all of them away and protects her with all he could. He had loved her so deeply that he is willing to live without her by his side just so that she could be safe from everyone's clutches.

She noted that the young Kazekage must have been very strong to not falter in his steps even once while carrying her in his arms at the same time. She takes in his strong set of jaws; elegantly shaped despite the constant straight line of his mouth. Then there are his eyes; they appear so cold and so uncaringly so, and yet here he is, carrying the greatly pain-weakened her with ease and without complaint. If only she could see them up close, she knew she would be able to decipher all the puzzles in his eyes and read the deeper part of him where he kept them well hidden. She knew then. Right then and there, she knew he is kind.

"You're so formal, Gaa-sama…" Kaguya mumbled her reply, letting her head rest against his neck. "I know you meant more than what you're saying…"

For a while, he continued to walk, silence settling over them softly. As the wind gently started to pick up speed and the evening sun slowly begun to set even deeper into the mountains, Gaara broke the silence with an awkward confession. "But I am glad that I could be of help to you," he said quietly, not wanting his siblings who followed him heard about what he had just said. The result would be mortifying. "It…" he continued, pausing for a while as he pondered what he should say to her. "It eases the guilt in me from our broken promise. I owe that much to you."

Kaguya smiled in his arms, her head burrowing deeper into the crook of his neck. He smelled so pleasantly nice, and she felt so safe enveloped in his warmth. She mused to herself that perhaps their engagement would turn out to be better than what rumors have speculated.

The bright orange orb of the sun had almost set completely when they finally arrived at the edge of Suna. It was, as Kaguya had said, a sunflower field. Beautiful and large sunflowers grew all over the borders of Suna and swayed gently at the wind gradually picking up the speed. The temperature had started to go down when they finally located a small rotten cottage in the middle of a peculiar spot of sunflowers.

"Please, Gaara-sama," Kaguya pleaded, wanting desperately to walk on her own and find her grandfather. "Let me down."

Of course, Gaara refused completely.

"I know you're enduring a tremendous pain right now, Kaguya-hime," Gaara lectured his bride-to-be, observing her wet brows and forehead soaked with sweat; her eyes appear almost glassy with pain. "You can barely walk without falling over. I won't tolerate it."

"Gaara-sama, please!" Kaguya continued to plead, her hands gripping his cloth and trying to shake him in a desperate way. "I need this! I need to do this myself!"

When Gaara remained impassive, Kaguya offered to him whatever she has through promise.

"I promise I'll do anything you ask of me," she said in a solemn tone, her eyes clear and promising. "Anything, whatever it is, just let me do this myself. Please!"

Leaning down, Gaara came almost nose-to-nose with her and stared into her eyes. "Anything?" he said huskily, his voice deep and intense.

Involuntarily, Kaguya flushed from the sound of his voice and their close proximity. She could feel his breath fanning her face. "Anything," she replied equally soft, almost a whisper.

Hearing her reply, Gaara pleasingly speak about what he wants with her. "Then I want you to promise to stay by my side," he said casually, surprising her with his want. "Because now, I would very much like you to be my wife; you will be my lover, my wife, my confident and the sole person I will love for eternity. If you do so, then I will do anything you'll ever ask of me, and I will be yours."

Her eyes widened in surprise at what he had said. He wanted her as his wife? Slowly digesting what he had said, Kaguya slowly lifted up a hand and brushed her knuckles against Gaara's sand-hardened cheek. Instantly, the sand fell apart at her touch and revealed the vulnerable skin underneath. She touched them softly and marveled at the texture of his smooth skin, comparing them with hers.

Before Gaara's arrival, she had never touched a man, nor allowed man to touch her either way. True, she practiced medicine, but she never touches them without her silk gloves on. But when she finally did touch one, and that is Gaara, she finds that it was a wonderful thing to do, and she would gladly do it forever if it means she will be able to touch him. His arms, for example, are built up with rock hard muscles. With just the slightest graze of his muscle gave her a complete feeling that she is safe in his arms, and nothing could harm her or even give her a scratch. She loves that feeling, and she didn't want to stop feeling that way.

"You don't need to ask me to promise so much, Gaara-sama," Kaguya said absentmindedly, finding the simple notion of touching him skin-to-skin remarkably amazing.

Her eyes found his and she somehow discovered the hard cold feeling in his eyes had transformed into a softer gaze in such a short amount of time. His gaze displayed a feeling that he had never even once showed it to anyone, more so to his siblings. It was akin to the gaze of someone who had only just realized that he is in love. "I would be yours willingly, as I have already been 11 years ago."

Slowly, not breaking their gaze, Gaara set Kaguya down to the ground and allowed her to hold onto him until she could stand well on her own.

"Be careful," Gaara said almost gently in a clumsy way, holding onto her hands in his. Awkwardly, Kaguya stepped out of the safety of Gaara's arms and turned towards the aged cottage.

From afar, it would seem that the rotten cottage is just old and a little runs down. However, it came out to be a different story when they gets closer, as the cottage is so pitifully run down that one side of the wall had crumbled while the door happens to disappeared. In its place a piece of dirty patterned ragged cloth serves as the door, billowing uselessly as the wind slowly becoming cold blowing harshly into the cottage.

Taking in a deep breath and force herself to hold back her tears, Kaguya walked slowly towards the entrance and pulled the ragged cloth aside, entering the useless cottage and surveying the condition of the small house with the Suna Siblings following her closely.

Kaguya strained her eyes within the dark room and looked around. The room was so small and dusty that she was not sure if this is really a place where a man of a noble birth could live in. She couldn't imagine her grandfather living in such a place for such a long duration of time.

With most of the walls bearing holes almost impossible to repair, there really only left one room that is inhabitable, despite the pitiful state of the now single room. Cooking pots and broken china bowls lay in one corner, dusty and dirty from the wind while dry straws and firewood lay in another corner, piled in a messy mound and a large brown jar possibly filled with water stood in one corner, a makeshift bamboo pipe functioned as a channel to collect rare rainwater into the jar from the roof. Overall, the interior seemed more pitiful than the sight outside of the cottage.

And she couldn't imagine if her grandfather could really last so long in such a place when he had lived in luxury for all of his life. She swallowed back a sob when she thought about the possibility that her beloved grandfather might just be dead.

After her eyes had adjusted to the level of darkness in the room, her eyes fell upon a torn screen at the end of the room. Walking towards it, Kaguya pushed the screen aside and saw a pitiful worn figure lying on an old futon on the dusty ground. Her heart pounded in anticipation, tears threatening to fall from her eyes while a sob steadily brewed in her lungs. Half of her being wished that the man she was searching would not be this pitiful person, because if he is, then that would mean he had lived half of his life in such a pitiful way, suffering endlessly while waiting for her to come of age and remember him. Guilt washed up in her heart at the concept, forcing her to bit her bottom lips in order to keep her from sobbing. Another half of her being wishes dearly that this man is the one she loves dearly, and that she had found him, and that his pitiful life will now end and that she will be able to repay his kindness to her by taking him home.

The pitiful figure lying on the futon seemed to sense her presence and immediately woke up, coughing his lungs out noisily. When his eyes fell upon the beautiful girl staring at him with unshed tears in her eyes, he couldn't make any more noise.

Kneeling down heavily beside his futon, Kaguya took hold of the man's old wrinkly hands and brought it to her lips, kissing them lovingly. Tears finally fell freely from her eyes as she sobbed out one name that explains everything.

"Haruka jii-sama…" Kaguya said tearfully, placing the old man's hand on her cheek to feel his warmth, feeling contentment swept through her as the proof that he is here with her while the old man started to finally register that this is no dream, and that it is his granddaughter he is touching.

The old man lying on the futon raised another trembling hand and touched his granddaughter's head gingerly.

"Ka…guya?" the old man said tearfully, a single tear escaped from his wise old eyes, unable to believe that right in front of him, here, in his very hands, is his beloved granddaughter. How he had sorely missed her company while she is confined under his order. She is the sole light and sun of his being after the death of his wife, and for the long years of her absence in his life, darkness has surrounded him like a cloak and brought him a life of hell. "Is it really you?" the old man croaked in disbelief, his eyes wide and glassy.

"Yes, Haruka jii-sama…" Kaguya sobbed in tears, leaning her head into his hand as she finally heaved a sigh of relief. "It's me…Kaguya…your granddaughter…"

"I knew you would find me," Haruka croaked, tears spilling out of his old wise eyes that have seen and tasted sufferings. "I never gave up hoping. I knew you would find me…"

Kaguya closes her eyes, and said in a whisper "I'm sorry it takes so long, jii-sama…I am so very sorry…"

"No matter…" Haruka said, one hand patting Kaguya's hand weakly. "You are now here with me, and that is more than enough for me my dear…"


	15. Miyagusuku Haruka

****A/N: Hey! It's been a looong while! Sorry for the long wait. Here's chapter 15!

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**Miyagusuku Haruka**

It was late in the night when they went back to the Miyagusuku Manor. Kankurou had offered to give the elderly Miyagusuku a ride behind his back, while the old man gave a barking, coughing, wheezing laugh. Haruka had patted Kankurou's back affectionately and accepted the offer.

"Oh, and Kazekage-sama?" the old man croaked, almost smiling when Gaara stopped his tracks and turned around with a sleeping Kaguya in his arms, a small smile grazing her lips. Her flowing red robes created such a contrast against his white formal Kage robe, and yet at the same time, it matched his flaming red hair. It warmed the old man's heart that they matched each other well. She had fallen asleep quite a while ago – dead tired on her feet – collapsing against Gaara when he captures her in his arms the moment she stepped out of the run down cottage. His instinct to be gentle with her came naturally, surprising him in and out when he adjusted her position in his arms to allow her frame to rest snugly against him.

Realizing that he had been keeping silent for quite a while, the old man cleared his throat with a noisy cough and continued his conversation before he was interrupted with his thoughts about the young couple.

"Kazekage-sama," he said. "If it would be alright with you, would you please destroy the cottage with your sand jutsu and make it appear as If it never existed in the first place?"

Everyone blinked in surprise, not expecting such a request from the old Miyagusuku. It was Temari who recovered herself first.

"B-but…well," Temari started, stuttering, and when she realize that she is the one who had stuttered, she stopped talking and cleared her throat, a light blush coating her face at humiliating herself in front of the old man, who is rumored to have been the wisest and greatest head of the Miyagusuku clan and of the Suna's Council. "May I ask why?"

"It is best if no evidence of this place ever existed," the old man said wisely, his old transparent green eyes stared ahead into the almost ruined cottage. "The councilmen have started to come forth in search for a 'Miyagusuku Haruka', and I do not wish for them to discover my whereabouts, lest my granddaughter here would suffer for my part."

"The councilmen won't dare to do anything with Gaara here," said Temari almost cheerfully, confident in her brother's ability to protect almost everyone, including the lady in his arms. But the old man merely shook his head in disagreement.

"With her regained memories, soon she will start to remember the list of names that I have given to her to memorize when she was just a little thing. I believe she remembers it still, but that it requires time to recollect that particular part. The councilmen, once they have found out about my existence, they would come for her first, regardless of their fear towards the great Sabaku no Gaara. Plus, you cannot presume they would come for themselves, would you, Kankurou-kun?"

Kankurou had been jolted awake from his reverie when the old man patted his chest. Once realizing that all eyes were on him, all he could do at the moment is stutter. "Err…well…"

"They would use shinobi," the old man continued, ignoring Kankurou's little trip over his tongue. Rubbing his chin with one of his free hand, the old man sank into deep thought and continued once again. "Yes, shinobi. They would be perfect to cover and finish their dirty jobs. Once the Miyagusuku are all dead, all they have to do is present another daughter or granddaughter to the Kazekage, and everything would be solved. Yes, they would come for her first."

"Why?" Kankurou said, joining into the conversation, not wanting to feel left out.

"Well, I suppose it's the simplicity of the human mind to want to torture a ragged old man before finishing him off with a single stroke," the old man gave a rasping laugh and sighed. "After all, everyone knows that Miyagusuku Haruka loves and dotes on his only grandchild. I'm not going to live forever, but my granddaughter here still has such a long life to begin with the young Kazekage."

Gaara gave the elder Miyagusuku no replies, but merely settled Kaguya in a cloud of sand that he had conjured and walked towards the edge of the sunflower field.

As per Miyagusuku Haruka's wish, Gaara covered the cottage with his sand jutsu and buried the cottage deep beneath the earth, where no shinobi would be able to find it.

**GAARAXOCXGAARAXOCXGAARAXOCXG AARAXOCXGAARAXOC**

It was early evening, where nighttime food vendors and shops were still open for the business. Since becoming a Kazekage, stores and shops are allowed to operate their business till 12 midnight. At first, it was just a few shops here and there, but by the time Gaara had become Kazekage for a few years, the streets are lighted up with the merry sounds of Suna's residents, enjoying life till the stroke of midnight.

Remembering Haruka's warning about the councilmen coming forth to find the missing elder Miyagusuku, Gaara enveloped everyone in his sand justu and transported them into the Miyagusuku Manor, evading the crowd and from the councilmen's prying eyes.

When the sand finally disintegrated, they were greeted by the wolf-like fox, Spade, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

With a light 'poof', Spade disappears and in his place stood Senri, retaining his silver hair and beady black eyes from his wolf-like fox form. By the time the smoke dispersed, Senri had started to cry.

"I-I was so worried…!" Senri started, standing there like the idiot he was. "Where d-did you take my hime-sama? She was gone when I woke up…! Gaa-sama! How could you be so cruel!?"

The next thing everyone knows, he had started to sit down on the polished wooden flooring of the Miyagusuku Manor and bawled like a child, going all out in his temper tantrum.

"This is…" Haruka started, gesturing towards the strange man sitting on the floor, howling in an unsightly way. Temari gave the old man an awkward smile and explained.

"He's supposed to be a rare type of wolf-fox hybrid that Kaguya saved from getting butchered years ago. Apparently, according to Gaara, he could change forms. When he's in human form, he's Senri, and when he's in his beast form, he's Spade. Am I correct, Gaara?"

Gaara gave a slight nod as his answer. "He serves Kaguya out of gratitude. We had somehow forgotten to inform him about our mission to retrieve you, which is probably the reason why he is in such condition…"

"You forgot to mention that he's kinda fond of you too, Gaara," Temari said teasingly, grinning widely at her brother.

Gaara merely settles the teasing from his sister by ignoring her jibe and strode towards Kaguya's sleeping chambers, determining to get Kaguya away from all the noise and let her rest.

**GAARAXOCXGAARAXOCXGAARAXOCXG AARAXOCXGAARAXOC**

"Why am I still alive, Jii-sama?" Kaguya asked her grandfather after she has awakened from her sleep. "Why didn't they kill me? Why not finish me off when I was still a child?"

The sand siblings stayed at the Miyagusuku's Manor for a while, and not long after the servants finished serving tea to the old Head of the Miyagusuku clan, a tired Kaguya came into the guest room, joining the rest of them with their tea. Haruka welcomes his granddaughter warmly and pats the seat next to him, a seat that faces directly with Gaara.

Gaara had even asked her if she has rested well and long enough, and she tells him that she will continue her rest after she has her answers to all the questions in her head. Apparently, Kaguya cannot rest well when the answers to all her questions after so many years lies and sits so close to her, enough for her to reach out with her hand and grab them.

The old Haruka lets out a long sigh, settling his teacup down on the table soundlessly. "The only reason is that they are greedy and desperate to reach another degree of richness. They needed the Miyagusuku's great income and apothecary skills to keep their pockets full. The Miyagusuku clan lives on an enormous amount of old money, the same with the Kazekage's family, and that old money is the very same one that builds Suna's foundation village. Those old money is only entitles to the Kazekage's family and the Miyagusuku's Head of the Family who are above 16, and no other clan or person is able to possess those old money. If civilians or people who are not a part of the Feudal Families are caught with old money in their possessions, the law would put them to death. This law is upheld in all of the Shinobi countries, and they could never escape from it. To use the old money, they need one controllable 'doll', and that would be you when you are of age."

Turning towards Gaara, Haruka said in his slight growling-tone, cocking his head towards Kaguya's direction. "I believe that you have proposed to our young Feudal Princess here, Kazekage-sama?"

Gaara gave the old man a slight nod of his flaming head. "I did. It was only a while ago."

"And I also believe that the councilmen's have started to make a move to separate your union with her?" Haruka asks with a raised eyebrows.

Kaguya snapped her head up at the sound of her grandfather's questions. "You meant to say that they did it to prevent the union of the Kazekage's and our clan, Jii-sama?"

Haruka nodded solemnly. "They do not want to lose their only available puppet. I assumed that they had wanted to come forth for you a while ago, and the speculation that the Kazekage would seek out a bride of his own himself has never come across their minds, because all they want is for the Kazekage to choose their daughters or closed ones to be his bride. The thought that the Kazekage himself would want bride outside of their choice and, rather, of his choice, and that bride turns out to be you – another member of the Feudal Families – does enough surprise for them. They thought that if they stopped the union earlier, the damage to their reputation and the risk of the Kazekage finding out the truth of their wants to separate your union would be lowered, and thus they send forth a black sheep to warn you off, to – how shall I put this…? – ah! To make the princess Miyagusuku back down from the marriage offered to her herself."

Picking up his teacup, Haruka drained the tea inside his cup and held it out to Kaguya, who had picked up the teapot and poured another fresh brew of tea into her grandfather's cup. With a nod, Haruka thanked his granddaughter and continued to sip the highly treasured tea, sighing blissfully with the exquisite taste and flavor of the prized tea.

"Then we shall ruin their plan with a plan of our own," the Kazekage said in a low tone, depicting that he is not happy with the truth regarding the council's greedy wants. "I had my suspicions regarding the council for quite a while ago. However so, their tracts to their evil deeds are cleverly concealed from my sight. They will be punished according to the penalty they are entitled to for treason against Suna and the Kazekage."

"Then," Kankurou said after being silenced for so long. "According to law, their only punishment for treason and crimes against Suna and the Kazekage shall be-"

"Banishment," Kaguya said, continuing Kankurou's sentence. "It also comes with the stripping of one's title and status and the confiscation of one's belongings and fortune."

Kankurou grinned at his future sister-in-law. "Serves them right, those old dudes. The rotten eggs in the councils are always kept on a strict watch, and one wrong step would have them sink so deep in mud they couldn't ever come back up for air."

Gaara nodded. "I would first announce to the council regarding my future bride. I am certain that uproars would ensure after that. In the midst of their chaos, Miyagusuku Haruka would enter into the council room-"

"And you would reinstall me as the Head of the Councilmen in front of them," said Haruka, "-and I would name each and every one of the council members whose greed and lust for power and wealth had conquered their pledge to serve the country first as a councilmen of Suna." When Gaara nodded his head in agreement of what Haruka had said, the old man smiled widely and said in a victorious tone, "Their evil doings will be reflected in their Karma, and they would get what they deserves the most."

Turning towards his granddaughter, Haruka held out his hand and beckoned for her to give him her hand. Kaguya complied his wishes and places her small hand in his. The old man grasped her hand and patted it with his other hand fondly.

"Kaguya dear, there is one other reason why you are left alive by the councilmen, and I would want you to know about it." Haruka said softly after a moment of silence. Kaguya stared long and hard at her grandfather.

"What do you mean jii-sama?" Kaguya said softly, fatigue weighting down on her after much of her uncertainty and doubts are answered. "There is another reason apart from that I'm the only Feudal member that they could use?"

Haruka nodded his head. "The other reason is that apart from Tsunade-hime of the Hii-no-kuni, our apothecary skills are superb – almost on par with the princess's talent." Haruka smiled at his granddaughter, who smiles back at him softly. Kaguya knows, her grandfather prides his family in their apothecary skills. "To top it all off, you are related by blood to the great Shiratoe clan. I trust that you know what kind of family they are…"

"What kind of family?" Kankurou choose that time to pipe in, considering much of the conversation has left him winded and spinning with information overload. He couldn't believe that the old geezers in the councils have such a devilish plan laying ahead of them for his future sister-in-law. His tone in asking that particular question had everyone stopped teasing him for his immaturity. Kankurou do not appreciate other people hurting anyone he considers family, and when he so much as found out about an oncoming threat to any of his family members, his killer instinct rose, and his puppets chatters in excitement of swallowing another prey into their clutches.

As immature as Kankurou is, he is a deadly shinobi that no one wanted to piss off no matter how stupid he appears.

"The Shiratoe clan originates from a long line of Chinese ancestors, majoring in superb apothecary skills," Haruka explained patiently, continuing to sip his tea silently. "They are famed for their expertise in the field of medicine, one that Tsunade-hime's proficiency cannot be compared with. Their skill in preparing remedial concoctions and healing brews of potion lives in their blood, and is imparted from parent to children. They secluded themselves and live in a mountain 1 day from Suna. I have heard that not many dared to venture there, not even for their lives. There's strange rumors about guardians of the mountains and spirits and such surrounding the Shiratoes, and those who did ventures in either comes back healthy and unable to remember seeing the Shiratoes, or they do not come back from the mountains."

Gulping, Kankurou imagined the faces of possible Shiratoes. If Gaara and Kaguya get married, then they would expect Shiratoes to visit them during the wedding and such. _Oh dear_, Kankurou thought. _Let's hope that they're not actually savages…_

Haruka nodded his head with a smile at Kankurou's reaction. He knew the story of Shiratoe clans, and he is meant to keep it a secret until Gaara and Kaguya is properly engaged. "If one of us is alive, they will kill you and spare me, because I am older and more experienced. Your only link to survival is that you are connected to the Shiratoes. That alone made you a very valuable citizen in Suna and the whole of Shinobi Country, and it's not just that you are a Feudal Princess. So if they have found me, they would kill me. I cannot die just yet, because I have yet to impart my knowledge of the Miyagusuku clan to you still. After all, you are – and still remains – my last heir."

Setting down his teacup, Haruka reached forward and grasped Kaguya's hand in his, covering her small hand in his gnarled ones. "Suna needs you, and so they spared you. I left and staged my own death, and had vowed to return when you have regained your memories. And now that you did, we shall surprise them with my reappearance. I believe that you would love it."


	16. Miyagusuku Kaguya

**Chapter 16**

**Miyagusuku Kaguya**

The next day, Gaara went out early to the meeting room in the Kazekage's Tower. As he passess by Kaguya's manor, Gaara stopped for a while at the roof and moments later, Kaguya came out from the small door up in the roof and looked up into the sun, eyes closed and enjoying the feel of the morning's warm sun on her face, appearing oblivious to his presence.

"Kaguya-hime," Gaara called out to her softly, and the moment she saw him, she smiles widely.

"Gaara-sama!" Kaguya said happily, moving towards the redheaded Kazekage. The Kazekage extended one hand out to her and she took it, allowing him to pull her into arms lengths. "What brings you here?"

Gaara looked all over Kaguya while she observes him with a curious expression on her face. He lifted the hand he his holding up high and spins her around slowly in a mock-slow dance. When she finally turns back into facing him, Gaara's stares made her look away from him for a while. It was such an intense stare that she could just feel her blood calling out to him in the form of her blushing. "W-what is it, Gaara-sama? Is there something on my face?"

Extending one hand forward, Gaara gently ran the back of his sandless hand from her temple to her cheek, lingering on her blushes while he stares almost longingly at her lips. Leaning forward, Gaara hesitated, fearing that she would balk from him, but when she didn't and instead choose to lower her eyelids a little, he leans in farther and brushes his lips against the corner of her lips.

"Just droping by to see you…" Gaara whispers into her ear, letting his words sinks in before she realizes what he is actually talking about.

Blushing deeply, Kaguya shyly looked back up to Gaara and saw that he is observing her every reaction. The truth is that she is quite worried about what would happen today. Her grandfather and Gaara had decided to confront the councilmen for their traitorous deeds the very next day, and that Gaara himself would come and escort the elderly Miyagusuku Haruka to the council hall. Haruka would come in at the right moment in the midst of their expected chaos after Gaara announces his decision to make Kaguya his bride-to-be. That is their plan.

By doing so, Kaguya's grandfather would be exposed back to Suna's council and Suna itself. He would be taking back his rightful place as the Head Concilmen and continues his world as the Kazekage's right-hand man. Kaguya would be excused from having to rise to the Head of Councilmen's seat, and she could continue their family tradition of being an Apothecary, their culturing of Ipaashas and their occasional art of Kabuki. By doing so, the Miyagusuku clan would be able to restore their lost former glory.

By doing so, the whole of Suna would know about Kaguya being Gaara's love interest. And lastly, by doing so, enemies would come after her first.

Gaara interpreted Kaguya's expression as one of worries. Strangely, he seemed to understand what predicaments are troubling her mind. The creases on her forehead wrinkles a little when she looked up at him with her eyes wide and worried. Using his fingers, Gaara gently rubbed the spot between her eyebrows and whispers softly to her, "Worry not, my princess. Everything will be fine."

"Gaara-sama," Kaguya said worriedly, deciding to tell him what bothers her mind. "If the whole of Suna knew about me becoming your bride, they would come after me. It troubles me that you would be fighting for me then-"

"Kaguya-hime," Gaara interrupted her. "I knew these thoughts would plague your mind. Rest assured, my princess, I will have a way to protect you even when I am absent from your sides."

"Thought I'd find you here, Godaime-sama," an old croaky voice said from behind them. Kaguya 'eeped' in Gaara's arms and jumped away from him.

"Ji-Jii-sama!" Kaguya exclaimed in surprise, her hands covering the blushes on her face, as if doing so could hide what her grandfather had just seen. "You surprised me!"

Haruka barked out a loud laugh. "I must say, Kaguya-chan, your blushes are truly one of a kind-" when Haruka notices that her blushes have spread to her ears and basically reddened her entire face, Haruka laughed even louder. "-and it seems that they've spread to your ears! Ahaha! This is truly an adorable sight that I've missed all these years!"

"Jii-sama…" Kaguya quietly whimpered in embarrassment, her hands now trying to cover her face from Gaara's and her grandfather's sight. "Please stop teasing me. It's humiliating…"

It was a long while before Haruka quits his laughing, and by then, Gaara had started to smile as well at Kaguya's distress. Donning on his Kazekage's hat, Haruka and Gaara stood on the roof side by side with Kaguya wishing them well on their journey and their plans in the council room.

"Shall we, Haruka-dono?" Gaara asked respectfully. When Haruka gave him a nod as an answer, Gaara summoned his cloud of sand and transported the both of them to the Kazekage's Tower.

**GAARAXOCXGAARAXOCXGAARAXOCXG AARAXOCXGAARAXOC**

"I have decided." Gaara's deep voice boomed in the meeting hall, effectively silenced the occupants of the room. "I have deicided, and I will not change my decisions for anyone in this room."

Eagerly, one old councilmember asks the Kazekage, "On what sort of decision have my lord decided, Kazekage-sama?" The old councilmember hoped dearly that the Kazekage have decided to marry, and wished that his choice will be his daughter, Miwako. He so very want to be the next most powerful person in Suna, and should his daughter marries the young Lord, and then his life wish shall be granted very, very soon. The old councilmember smiled widely to conceal his thoughts, but when Gaara fixated his eyes upon him, the old councilmen's smile slowly dropped, the feeling that the young Kazekage knew just exactly what he is thinking did not escape his first thoughts.

Gaara had the same eyes as the previous deceased Kazekage and the Head of Councilmen, Miyagusuku Haruka, all-knowing and seemingly able to penetrate the thoughts of cunning councilmen. Most people avoided his gaze gladly; while some stubborn councilmen who thought they are all-too high and mighty for the Kazekage to sway their status stares back daringly.

After a moment of staring, Gaara averted his eyes from the greedy councilmen and sweep his gaze over all the councilmen, settling with staring straight ahead of him with his head held high, most of his features hidden behind his Kazekage's hat. If he wanted to announce his decision of marrying Kaguya, then he might as well do it as proud as he could.

"I have decided that Miyagusuku Kaguya will be my bride."

As he had expected back at the Miyagusuku's Manor, murmurs – no, objections rang throughout the whole meeting hall. Everyone objected with the arrangement noisily and protested with reasons that their own daughter is more than good enough for the Kazekage, and that he is insulting them that he choose none of the councilmember's daughters and relatives as his future bride. He quietly allowed all of them to continue protesting in their own way and hoped they will calm down after a while.

But they didn't.

In fact, the insults thrown at the direction of his Kaguya becomes even more disturbing than what he had initially thought is alright. After all, he's the Kazekage. He'll make the decision in taking a wife, and he'll be the one who choose her, not them. If the council ever comes down to making a decision for him, the last one speaking will still be Gaara himself.

And yet…

"Kazekage-sama!" they always started in such ways. "How could you allow such a seductive wench to stole your gaze?! She is nothing!"

**Seductive wench-!** Shukaku said from within Gaara's inner thought. **She's by far one of the kindest and sweetest girl ever, you blind bat!**

_Let them be, Shukaku_, Gaara said to the One-Tail. _They'll get their surprise soon enough for insulting her._

"Kazekage-sama! My daughter, Miwako!"

"What about my daughter, Yuriko, Kazekage-sama!? You promised to look over her profile and gave her more credits than the others!"

**You lying little old bat,** Shukaku snapped.

"My Minako, Kazekage-sama! Remember my Minako?! I was told that you had avoided her advances because she's too meddlesome, now that is downright rude, Kazekage-sama-"

"Silence!" Baki shouted above the noisy objections and insults thrown at Gaara's chosen bride. "This is outrageous! That person is the Kazekage-sama's future bride you're insulting, Councilmen. You will all do well to respect her as well as you respect the Kazekage."

One councilman bravely continues as if Baki hadn't said anything. "She is nothing but a seducing, lowly Miyagusuku-"

"And you've forgotten that she is a Feudal Princess belonging to the Feudal Families, council mens," Gaara's booming voice said loudly in a dangerously low tone, quieting the council room in less than a second and interrupting the councilman's complains. "She is far better than anyone's daughter or granddaughter here in this room. She's a strong Feudal Princess from a noble bloodline. Her blood is pure and powerful, and she alone is enough to fail all of your daughters and the candidates that all of you have dared to force me to review and choose from with just a single glance from me," Gaara said, noting all the councilmen's faces becomes dark with anger. In the same pleasant tone, he continues.

"All of you here in this room are not trained to remember the Feudal Lords and Ladies family names, and so I forgive you on that," he scanned the council room again with his all knowing eyes. He finds that their gazes now held curiosity at the mention of Feudal Lords and Ladies. _Perhaps they have realized themselves that it is the Feudal Lord and Ladies I am talking about…_ Gaara mused to himself, almost smiling at the thought of them realizing what blasphemy they have uttered against a Feudal Princess.

Continuing in a deeper tone, Gaara took on a more solemn expression and said grimly. "But as the direct descendant of the First Feudal Lord of Suna, I vow to marry Miyagusuku Kaguya, the one Feudal Princess of a noble bloodline in Suna, and whoever stops me from doing so will not only face my wrath alone. The sands of Suna shall wait to bury them deep within the core of the earth if I were to hear another insult thrown at my bride-to-be."

Gaara turns to give a knowing look at Baki. Upon receiving Gaara's approving look, the elder shinobi gave the Kazekage a respectful low bow and exited the room.

"Trust me when I say I will not be merciful in the future," Gaara said dangerously, his eyes sweeping across the council room and stares at one councilmen after the other, daring them to say otherwise. "I will no longer overlook bribery and swindling of tax and funds of the country. I will not let the village and country fall when I am still Kazekage of Suna."

There was a knock on the door of the council, and in entered an old man using an intricatedly carved walking stick. There is a wide smile carved on the old man's face whilst his all-knowing eyes scanned the hall for the traitorous councilmens who have planned to doom the Miyagusuku clan. Haruka found all of them with a single glance, and his smile widens.

"How dare you enter this council room, peasant!?" one particular council member spat, standing up with his face welled up in anger. "We are having a private and confidential meeting here! Guards, take him out-"

"There's no need, councilmen," Gaara stopped the councilmen from saying anything further. With his hand outstretched and a finger pointing towards the old covered man concealed behind straw hat, the councilmen froze in anticipation from the Kazekage. "The good man is to remain, as he is the second person I would like to introduce to all of you."

Smiling, Gaara stood up and gestured the old man towards the seat beside him. "Pardon me – I am to _reintroduce_ one particular lost councilmember after such a long time. I trust that everyone remembers him particularly for the sacrifices he has done to his family, especially to his beloved granddaughter."

Gaara is pleased to find a fair few of the councilmen paled considerably.

**They've guessed who that old man is now, haven't they?** Shukaku piped up happily, eager to watch the drama unfolds from the best eye view in the world.

_This is perfect,_ Gaara inwardly replied Shukaku with a grinning smile.

"Miyagusuku Haruka," the old man croaked dramatically, flinging the beggar's entire outfit and revealing the original white and crisp official uniform of the council Head. With another dramatic low bow, the old man leans heavily on the walking stick and said in a low booming tone, "At your service, Kazekage-sama."

"Miyagusuku-!"

"Miyagusuku Haruka!"

"Haruka-sama!"

"Haruka-sama's back!"

"Isn't Miyagusuku Haruka dead a long time ago?"

"Apparently, that _dead _Miyagusuku Haruka is standing here right in front of you, councilmen Okawa," Haruka said to the offending councilmen, who had snapped his head back to where Haruka stood proud and powerful at the side of the Kazekage. "I've heard much of you from my darling granddaughter. She told me that you've treated her with such _respect _that she is astounded by the grace possesses by a simple peasant-turned-councilmen. I should say a proper punishment is in order. Don't you know that uttering blasphemy against someone with a Feudal Lord or Lady Status is treason?"

"W-Who are you to say anything to me, Haruka-dono!?" Okawa braved himself to stutter back replies. "You are no longer the Head of Councilmen! The last date for your reinstalment has long passed! You're now a mere peasant!"

"Regarding that matter," Gaara interrupted by raising one hand. "I was about to recitify that matter. Council, Miyagusuku Haruka will be back with us both in society and in council matters. There will be no ceremonies, only silent reinstalment. I have prepared a decree for that, and it will put Haruka-dono back in full power immediately. I will not tolerate another question. The meeting is dismissed today."

Standing up slowly, Gaara took his time to wear his formal Kazekage's hat. After making sure that the cloth covers his neck and side of the face properly, Gaara walks out of the council room unhurriedly and nodded once at Baki, who took it as a cue for him to follow the Kazekage. Stopping at the entrance, Gaara turns back slightly and called, "And, Councilmen Okawa?"

The said councilmen immediately stood up, his back straight as if he's been struck by thunder at that instant. "Yes, My Liege?" he said robotically, sweat trailing down his face and moustache in the most awful line.

"I will arrange for the procedures of stripping you off your title and banishing you and your family out of Suna. I will not accept such backstabbing barbarians as my citizens in Suna, especially when they just badmouthed my bride-to-be. You will only retain 2 percent of your wealth while the rest will go for the Orphanage, Retiring Homes and Gratis Prosthetic Centre."

**Backstabbing barbarians, huh**? Shukaku piped up. **I like it, man!**


	17. In Betweens

**A/N: So sorry for the long wait. There's up and down in one's life somewhere and right now is my up and down time. Managing schedules is just hard and now that I finally have a scrap of free time, I'm gonna write and write and write! Haha! Again, I apologize for the long wait. **

**Enjoy and don't forget to review! Thanks!**

**Chapter 17**

**In Betweens**

Kaguya is to be his Bride the day after tomorrow, and he's still here, stuck with his stupid paper works. The preparation for the ceremony starts as early as before dawn, and there are only a few more piles to be done with. All he needed to do is to stamp on his Kazekage stamp since he had already read and approved the paper works. He would have loved to ditch paperwork for tonight and rest his mind for his speech tomorrow. It would be a long speech, and then a good amount of his chakra would be needed for the writing of his bride's protective seal during the ceremony. He would need a long rest.

A Kazekage's chosen Bride is special. Aside from giving him the heir he needs, she guards his heart, she guards his soul, and she will stay by his side for as long as both of them live. She is also untouchable – meaning that nobody could ever harm her no matter what way there are in the world. She is well protected with Suna's very own traditional and ancient magic, given to her on the day of their engagement after the Kazekage gave her the title of the Bride.

The Sands and Winds will protect her as per her status as the Bride of the Hidden Village of Sand, and the powers triggered can only be ceased with her worded command. That power comes in the form of an elaborated and arduously made seal with the world 'Ai' in the center of her chest, painted in golden magical dusk imbued with the chakra of the Kazekage. It is harvested during a full moon's night at the peak of Suna's mountain by the Kazekage himself. With it, the ceremony is complete, and the Bride will stay with him for three moon cycle as per tradition and finally becomes his Wife after that, especially more so if she is pregnant. Before there is a Wife, there is a Bride – this is to prevent the Kazekage from getting himself a barren wife.

Pursing his lips, Gaara diligently completed his paperwork and finally, nearing 9 o'clock in the evening, he stamps the last official Kazekage stamp on his last paperwork and heaved long and tired. That was his last paperwork worth a fair few weeks. Sighing in defeat, Gaara leans back fully into his armchair and closes his eyes, thinking deeply about the day after tomorrow.

Suna wanted its heir, and its heir will they get after he gets his bride. After the ceremony, they are to pay a visit to their neighbouring country, the Hii no Kuni (Fire Country). The Kazekage is expected to introduce his Bride to neighbouring alliance countries. The Bride's seal is not written on open places such as the forehead, and she is also not expected to wear something specific just to show the written seal all the time. Just by showing her face around to neighbouring alliance countries, the Bride will be officially announced to the world and marriage contracts will thus stop flowing into Suna.

And Gaara would be happy with it.

At the thought of his Bride-to-Be, an unpleasant event happened in that morning.

"Gaara-sama!" Matsuri had barged into the room with an incredulous expression on her face. "Gaara-sama! This can't be true, right? You're not getting married with her, right?"

Several magazines and Shinobi Express slammed onto his desk, almost toppling his teacup. His gaze moves up towards Matsuri's face. He noted to himself that she is red in the face and panting for air, as if she had ran all the way from Konoha to Suna.

He knew it is true, judging by the presence of his sister, Temari, the ambassador of Konoha standing not far from the doorway with an incredulous expression of her own directed at Matsuri.

Displeased with the disturbance, Gaara picked up one of the magazines and read the headlines.

"Suna's Bride-to-Be – A Mysterious Beauty Revealed!"

"The Kazekage's Bride-to-Be!"

"Shocking News from Suna! Kazekage's Getting Engaged!"

"The Bride-To-Be – Who Is She?"

"Gaa-sama's Getting Married with a Nobody!"

"Who Is Kaguya!? And Why Is She the Chosen One?!"

Gaara glances up without moving a muscle. It was his signature glare for a toneless 'So?'

"Tell me this isn't true," Matsuri begged her teacher, unshed tears sparkling in her eyes. "Tell me you'll cancel this engagement, Gaara-sama!"

Gaara couldn't understand why Matsuri behaves as such. She supported him throughout his everything for as long as he is her teacher. This is the first time Matsuri whined to him regarding a decision he had made quite a while back. He had told Matsuri that he does not accept a student who whines for small matters such as a scratch or something emotional and she did.

He didn't like it at all.

"Pray tell, Matsuri," Gaara asked tonelessly, knowing that she would understand his displeasure judging by his tone alone. "Why would my decision to marry Kaguya-Hime concern you in such a way? The preparations for the ceremony is undergoing well. The invitations are sent. Every country's ambassador is coming tomorrow. Cancelling my engagement with Kaguya now will not only put shame to me and to Suna, also, it would not be a wise idea at all and you knew that, Matsuri."

"Why must it be her?" Matsuri screeched angrily, slamming her palm on his desk. Her actions spurred Kankurou and Temari standing nearby to move closer to Gaara. Nobody liked Matsuri being bossy, especially to their own little brother. It's enough that she boasts around the village that her teacher is Gaara, and that she knew nobody would dare to anger or hurt her just because she is Gaara's first student. Being disrespectful to Gaara for his decision to marry a Feudal Princess is too much. "Of all the girls in the world, why would you have to marry her?! Did she force you to do this?! How could my beloved teacher fall for some seductive wench like her!?"

"The magazines and papers do her no justice at all," Gaara said calmly with his brows furrowed in disapproval. "She is nothing of the sort this trash wrote about her. In fact, she is the opposite. Even my siblings approved her."

"Yeah! At first sight as well," Kankurou piped in happily, knowing it's his cue to talk. "She's the sweetest girl I've ever met. So gentle and beautiful, and she cooks! I definitely want her as my sister-in-law, no matter what Gaara says. Hahaha!"

"Don't be silly, Kankurou," Temari chided with a smile, knowing that what Kankurou had praised about Kaguya, Matsuri had not the ability to perform them well. "Kaguya is Gaara's first choice for a bride's candidate. Besides, they've known each other for quite some time back then – 9 years, isn't it, Gaara?" Temari asked with a tone that only Gaara and Kankurou understood. It was a tone she uses whenever they're in to tricking someone.

"Matsuri," Temari started, turning towards Gaara's only student with a sombre expression. "Kaguya is an aristocratic Feudal Princess. Marrying her could and would definitely strengthen the bond between old families. New blood from noble families can be brought in, and a strong heir will be born to the lines of the Kazekage's family. You don't expect someone like Gaara – a Feudal Lord of his status – to marry an ordinary commoner, a peasant, or a kunoichi now, don't you?"

Tears spilling forth, Matsuri whined all out in Gaara's office, her arms flailing around like a child unbefitting her status as a Chuunin level kunoichi. "This is not fair!"

Kankurou shrugged his shoulders on behalf of Gaara. "Life isn't fair for our Kazekage either."

Snapping her head towards Kankurou, Matsuri strode upon him and proceeds to bawl her face out in front of him. "I stood by his side for so many years!"

"She stood right behind him since she was 7 years old," Temari whistles, impressed with Kaguya's will to stay true to his promise. "How noble of her…"

"I am under the impression that Gaara-sama _prefers _me over the other kunoichi-"

"Being scared of using weapons and choosing the only person not flanked around by new students does not mean that he would like you more on the romance side, Matsuri," Temari said sternly, not liking how the conversation turns. "He could have chosen to walk away, and yet he did not. He took you under his wings because – I admit – Kankurou and I do not know things that couldn't be a weapon. Only Gaara would think that something like that suits you. If you're under me, I would have taken no nonsense from such a child and deal with you as I please."

"If you're trying to scoop up some pity from this office, I suggest you look for it elsewhere," Kankurou said, moving forward and standing in front of Gaara with a strange glint in his eyes. Matsuri didn't like that dangerously warning glint he gave her. "There are thousands more official business that people would want to meet up with the Kazekage to discuss about it, and you're good enough that we didn't kick you out of here the moment you started to whine. Now scram, before we cram you in a crank."

"But- You promised, Gaara-sensei!" Matsuri pleads tearfully at Gaara. "You promised that I could watch your back…Isn't that your proposal to me, sensei?"

Everyone is surprised with Kankurou's sudden bark of laughter. "How could you misunderstand something like that, Matsuri? I thought you're smarter than you look!"

"Matsuri," Gaara said sternly, catching her eyes while he speaks to her. "The fact that my decision will not change does not concern you at all. I fail to see why you are so upset about it. And to remind you back then, that is not a proposal at all. I made a promise to you as a shinobi trusting their comrades."

Matsuri's fact contorted into one of anger and disappointment. "I will crush her-"

Sand immediately erupted from Gaara's sand gourd placed by the side of his desk at the sound of a threat towards Kaguya and attacked Matsuri in the form of a hand around her neck.

"I will not tolerate this any longer," Gaara said tonelessly, his eyes burning angrily. "You will not insult my Bride-to-Be. You have no rights to judge her or spit insults at her. In the future, insulting her will induce my wrath. Do you understand?" Gaara tightens his sand's grip on her neck, loosening his hold altogether when she nodded vigorously against the tight sand grip.

Matsuri crumbles to the floor and coughs noisily on his office's floor. Not daring to stand in his office for another minute, Matsuri crawled pitifully out from the room and disappears in a poof of smoke.

Sighing, Gaara returns to his desk and sat down heavily. "Tell them not to write my name in such a way again. I don't like it," Gaara said tonelessly, returning his attention to his paper works. He had much to do. If he wanted a long holiday with Kaguya at Konoha, then he'll best start his work now.

Thoughts of Kaguya broke his long chain of thoughts. Again, the intense desire to see her again surfaces up from within his very being. Without further ado, Gaara picked up his Kazekage's hat and closes his office door, signalling that the Kazekage have stopped working and have gone home for the day.

* * *

"Welcome, Kazekage-sama," Baba Yaga bowed in respect at the presence of the redheaded leader of Suna. "The Lord and Lady are within the dining chambers-"

"Gaara-sama!" a familiar voice called him. He turned his head just in time for Kaguya to come into view. She's wearing another piece of emerald flowing dress. It is of another design than the one he had seen her in before. This time, there are patterns of falling patterned leaves sewn on them. It's a beautiful piece of work. He finds that the color truly suits her complexion, and she looks exceptionally beautiful in them.

She smiles at him beautifully and bowed respectfully to him. "Good evening, Gaara-sama! Jii-sama knew you'd stop by here today, so he had asked me to prepare another set of dinner for you. Come, dine with us. I've just served them."

Gaara manages to crack a small smile at the sight of her smiling at him widely. Following her into the dining room, he is greeted with a splendid course of dinner.

"I heard that your favorite is salted tongue and gizzards," Kaguya said happily, piling tongues and gizzards on top of a plate and served it to Gaara. "Please have some. You've worked the whole day at the office. You must be hungry."

Kaguya's grandfather snickered. "She meant to say that salted tongue and gizzards are her favorite too!" Haruka said with his chopsticks pointing at the plate of food.

When Haruka noted how a steady blush is blooming across of Kaguya's fair visage, heading steadily towards her ears, Haruka barked out a loud laugh and motioned for Gaara to look at her as well.

"Hahahaha! I can never get enough of seeing you turning red, Himeko-chan! Hahaha!" – (Himeko is Haruka's nickname for Kaguya. It means Little Princess.)

"Jii-sama!"

"I certainly cannot imagine you working in the Apothecary. Do you turn red for every single naked man you saw?" Haruka asked teasingly, his eyebrows wriggles while his aged eyes twinkle in mischief.

Kaguya's eyes flitted from Gaara to her grandfather and back to Gaara again. It was a humiliating thing to admit, but at last she nodded her head.

"I wore a mask so they do not see my face…turns red… Jii-sama! Stop teasing me!"

Haruka laughed heartily at the sight of his granddaughter miffed expression. "Hahaha! Alright alright! I shall take over the Apothecary duties then, and you shall continue our original family business, the Kabuki Theater!"

When Gaara's eyes focused on her, a sign that he wanted her to explain more, Kaguya – if possible – turned another darker shade of red. "Yes, yes, I know, you're shy, but one day you are going to perform in front of your husband, whether it's your lightness on your feet or in bed-"

"Haruka jii-sama!" Kaguya exclaims in an effort to stop her grandfather's teasing. "You're embarrassing me!"

"Haha! But I love to humiliate my granddaughter! Haha!" the old man turned towards Gaara and said jovially. "Have I ever told you just how adorable she was when she flushes in embarrassment?"

Gaara smiled slightly. "No, grandfather Haruka," he answered truthfully. He caught sight of the flushing Kaguya and begun to have second thoughts about them. "-but I now understand what you mean."

"Hahaha! Good man you have here, my dear. He'll protect you from now on, will you m'boy?"

Gaara gave a slight bow towards the elderly Miyagusuku. "It is my duty."

"Don't put it into your Kazekage's duty!" Haruka slapped the table, surprising both Kaguya and Gaara. "This is not politics! This is of love, of relationship, of future husband and wife! She'll guard your heart, and you shall protect her as if she's your life, your soul, your heart! Use that heart of yours well to protect her too!"

To Gaara, this is practically the first time someone dares to lose their temper to him. He couldn't explain the feeling he is going through at that moment, but he finds that it is somehow refreshing in a sense that someone is not being civil to him just because he is all powerful and feared.

"I will, grandfather Haruka," Gaara said, his hand silently held Kaguya's hand from underneath the table. In the course of his thinking, his hand had searched out for her hand in an attempt to feel her by his side, and that all this is not a dream. But the moment his fingertips felt her warm hand, he held onto them and caresses her soft hand. Looking up at her, Gaara smiles slightly at Kaguya, who then gave him a meaningful look and smile in return.

"Now," Haruka barked, surprising Gaara and Kaguya. Giving both of them a knowing smile and look, Haruka smiles sideways and wriggles his eyebrows. "My dear Himeko-chan, will you perform for your old senile grandfather?"

"No," Kaguya smiles at her grandfather. "You're not senile, Haruka jii-sama. You're my charmingly sweet grandfather, and yes, of course I will perform. I just never expect it to be this immediate."

"Then off you go to prepare yourself."

"There's no need, Haruka jii-sama," said Kaguya, standing up to walk towards the center of the room. "A good dancer will outshine even those who wear expensive silks to perform, and I am a good dancer."

Haruka barked a laugh. "I'm sure you are. You have your mother's good looks and blood and skills, while your good brains are inherited from me through your father. You have all the good qualities of a Bride, my dear child."

"Thank you for the good brains, Haruka jii-sama," Kaguya bows to her grandfather with a wide smile on her lovely visage. "They have saved me and the Ipaashas countless times."

"You should see her when she's young, Gaara-sama," Haruka said gleefully, leaning over to Gaara's side of the seat to better talk with him while Kaguya starts to dance. "She dances so perfectly that sometimes I couldn't believe that I would occasionally think she could just outshine her mother even at such a tender young age. She so used to spy on her mother dancing in her room…"

While Kaguya is dancing and singing, she could feel Gaara's eyes on her all the time, watching through her every movement and lot looking elsewhere. Her green silk dress flows around her like a shimmering piece of art, while her long dark hair swirls around her, following her every turns and moves. Gaara's heart swelled at the thought that such a kind and beautiful creature is to be his soon.

_In the North there's a lady,_

_Stunning and singular._

_One look confounds a city;_

_A touch dooms an empire._

_Rather not wishing to know, the ruination that may follow._

_Rare beauty is here and now_

"Rare beauty indeed…" Gaara said quietly to himself, his eyes rooted to where Kaguya now stood on one leg elegantly in a posture that marked the end of the dance. What made him unable to look away is that smile of hers.

_Such a beautiful creature,_ Gaara thought in his mind. _All mine…_

* * *

**A/N: I know this is kinda like the crappiest chapter ever, but I'm trying my best to fill in the gaps of a few days into this story. Next one will be...well...will be kinda good before the apocalypse came upon them. Hahaha! Review please!  
**


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